


Earmuffs, Pretzels, and Paper Airplanes

by ARustySpork



Category: Falsettos - Lapine/Finn
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, F/M, High School, How Do I Tag, Jason & Marvin (Falsettos) Bonding, M/M, Photography, Pretzels, Tutoring, Whizzer Brown & Jason Friendship, cool whizzer brown, earmuffs, marvin is a cold boi, marvin is a dork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2019-10-26 16:46:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 31,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17749682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ARustySpork/pseuds/ARustySpork
Summary: “Fuck me,” he said a little too loudly, considering he was still on school grounds.To be fair, Marvin thought he was alone. Perhaps that was why he repeated that phrase several more times, growing increasingly louder.“When and where?”





	1. Earmuffs

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go, kiddos. 
> 
> Let's do this thing.

Marvin did not handle the cold well.

Anyone could tell you that, whether or not they knew who he was. Anyone could tell from a mile away that Marvin did not like the cold, as he currently took the same form as a fucking marshmallow.   
He had long underwear on under his jeans, a long-sleeve shirt under his sweater, under his windbreaker, under his coat. On top of all that, he was wearing mittens and a toque, unfortunately forgetting his scarf that morning.

He looked ridiculous, to be honest. It wasn’t even that cold, only ten degrees below freezing. The most anyone else had on was a light coat, and here Marvin was bundled up as if he were in Siberia.  
His friends always teased him for it, but ever since that fateful day in fourth grade, he wouldn’t let up.

_It was finally the day. The first snowfall of the year. It was during this legendary time that friend groups would compete to build the best snow fort in all the grade. The snow was fresh and filled with possibilities. Marvin ran as fast as he could to get outside, wanting to guarantee that he got the best spot._

_As he ran outside, he met with his two best friends, Mendel and Trina. They were already sprinting over to the edge of the playground, where the snow was deepest. As Marvin gazed around the playground, he felt like he was smack dab in the centre of the Hunger Games. Kids were running for their lives, finding their friends, fighting over spots, already carving blocks for there forts. There was nothing quite like it._

_“Over here! Marvie!”_

_He ran over in the direction of the voice, which was coming from Mendel. He was wearing his Dora the Explorer mittens, already cutting an outline for their fort._

_“So here’s the game plan,” Trina began, “you and Mendel start scooping out the centre, and adding on the excess snow for the walls. The plan is to make it small but deep, so it blocks out wind. Meanwhile, I’m gonna start digging out some blocks.”_

_Marvin nodded, taking her orders as if she were his drill sergeant. Building forts was serious business. As the fifteen-minute recess filled with more hard work than Marvin had ever put into anything in his short life, the bell rang._

_The three kids took a moment to fully examine their creation. It truly was a beauty, both the Colosseum and the Louvre were incomparable to that of this fort. Any pride he felt in that moment was immediately crushed when he found out that he had frostbite, preventing him from going out for recess for the rest of the week._

Marvin didn’t want to think about that day, it was one of the lower points in his life. What was he in fourth grade if not a snow architect?

Marvin was never going to get frostbite again, which was why he had instead chosen to take the form of a marshmallow. Not much had changed since then, other than the fact that he had grown up a little. He was in grade eleven, he had matured, he had lived a little.

Yet as Marvin made his way from one building to the next for his history class, he couldn’t help but wish that he went to a smaller school. He felt it should be illegal to force teenagers to walk in the outdoors at school. He was so caught up in his thoughts on how climate change was making his life exceedingly more difficult, that he didn’t notice the change in medium as he walked along. He didn’t notice how one of his feet was standing on a patch of ice, and he didn’t notice until it was too late that he was plummeting to the ground, flat on his back.  
In this situation, any normal person would try to get back up as soon as possible in order to maintain any trace of dignity they might have. Marvin was not a normal person. He had come to terms with his failure, which was why as his textbooks went flying across the sidewalk, Marvin just laid his head back and accepted defeat.

“Fuck me,” he said a little too loudly, considering he was still on school grounds.

To be fair, Marvin thought he was alone. Perhaps that was why he repeated that phrase several more times, growing increasingly louder.

“When and where?”

Marvin’s eyes flew wide as he started into a sudden panic. He stared straight up at the sky, where a face was hovering above him. The face was that of a boy about his age. He was wearing earmuffs instead of a toque, as to not mess up his seemingly perfect hair. He seemed to be enjoying Marvin’s silent embarrassment, as he was grinning like a maniac.

“Having fun down there?” the boy asked at Marvin, who had still not made an effort to get up.

“Yeah, I’m just…just having a grand old time,” Marvin replied nonchalantly.

The boy offered his hand, which Marvin begrudgingly took. Marvin was hoisted onto his feet and forced to face the boy that caught him in a rather compromising position. Before Marvin could protest, the mysterious stranger had collected all of his books and placed them into his arms.

“Cold?” he asked with a joking smile, looking Marvin up and down.

For a reason Marvin couldn’t quite place, he couldn’t seem to construct a sentence in the presence of this boy. He was quite a bit taller than Marvin, wearing a thick bomber jacket and a scarf wrapped snugly around his neck. His eyes seemed to sparkle, taking humour in Marvin’s disheveled state.

“R-Right,” Marvin stuttered out, “well…I…I’ve gotta…I’ve gotta get to class.”

Marvin lingered in the boy’s eyes for a moment, before he swiftly trudged past him.

He mentally punched himself as he walked away. Why was he so goddamn awkward? Why couldn’t he just have a normal conversation like a normal person? As Marvin walked into the next building, he tried to forget every aspect of the encounter with the mysterious stranger.

If he was lucky, he would never see him again.


	2. Sharp Spaghetti

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Marv, that’s pretty gay,” Cordelia decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sharp spaghetti experience is a true story, it hurts to think about

**February**

“Hey Marv, get any frostbite lately?”

Marvin glared as he took his seat beside Mendel. After years of friendship, they hadn’t been able to shake each other either. 

Mendel had changed since fourth grade as well, but in a completely different way. He exchanged the Dora the Explorer mittens for an array of knitted sweaters, dropped most of his energy, and instead assumed a relaxed demeanor. He became the guy that people would ask for advice. Not just people in their friend group, but students Mendel had never spoken to before until they came running to him for help on how to break up with their significant other.

Trina slid forward an extra bag of goldfish she had brought with her, knowing full well that Marvin rarely packed lunch.

Trina had changed less since elementary school. She was bossy, but lovable. The mom friend, but also knew how to have fun. Trina and Marvin had actually dated for a short time in grade nine, before quickly ending it and deciding it was better if they remained friends. It had been smooth sailing since then.

Marvin settled into the uncomfortable wooden bench that resided in the lunchroom, crossing his arms on the table. He ate lunch with the same two people every day, yet they somehow managed to keep things fresh. Today, for example, they were passionately ranting about what kind of pencil was better.

“Mechanical pencils are always dull, and the lead breaks off way to easily. The whole contraption is just way too flimsy, whereas wooden pencils give you that strong sturdy grip you need!” Mendel argued.

“Mechanical pencils are better for the environment, you don’t have to constantly sharpen them, and they’re less likely to stab you if they’re in your pocket. Besides, you can get thinner types of lead if you need it to be sharper,” Trina shot back.

“First of all, what kind of monster keeps their pencils in their pocket, and second, I need my pencils to be so sharp that it feels like I’m carving the letters into the paper. Mechanical pencils just don’t do it.”

Trina sighed, exasperated. “Marv? What do you think?”

“Sorry Trin, I’m Ticonderoga all the way. Wood pencils for the win.”

Trina rolled her eyes. “You guys make me sad. Anyways, any major life changes occur in the past few hours since we’ve seen you?”

Marvin shrugged and tore open the bag of goldfish. “I don’t know if you’d call it interesting, but I slipped on some ice and reverse face planted by the parking lot.”

Trina snorted, “you probably didn’t even feel it, not when you wrap yourself in enough clothing to dress a small country.”

Marvin shot Trina a look before continuing.

“Then this random guy went and helped me up, and he was totally judging me.”

“Because you fell on your face? Yeah, you must’ve looked pretty stupid,” Mendel joined in.

“No, because after I fell, I lied on the ground and said ‘fuck me’ at the top of my lungs. Then he walked over and asked, ‘when and where?’”

Trina nearly spit out her iced coffee, trying not to giggle. “Oh my god, he actually said that?”

Marvin nodded, not as amused as his friends were laughing around him.

“Do you know this guy?” Mendel asked. “Is he in our grade?”

Marvin shrugged. “I didn’t immediately recognize him, but I think I’ve seen him in the halls or something, hanging around the cool people. I don’t have any classes with him though.”

“That’s rich,” Trina said, wiping tears out of her eyes.

“Wow guys, I’m glad we’re all having fun laughing about how some stranger basically proposed a hookup to me in the middle of the sidewalk, but maybe we could change the subject?”

“Ooh, here’s a good one,” Mendel proposed. “What’s going on with Kanye West? Like, where’d he go?”

_________________________________

“Marvin! Marvin!” 

Marvin whipped around to see Charlotte sprinting over to him. He really wished she had chosen to stop him when he wasn’t standing in the freezing cold outdoors. He just wanted to go home. She ran around so she was standing in front of Marvin, who was currently freezing his ass off.

“Oh my god, Marv. I was walking around in the hall and I passed some elementary school kid who was talking to his friends and he said ‘look, I might not be the sharpest spaghetti in the box’ and I haven’t stopped thinking about it all goddamn day.”

Marvin had become friends with Charlotte in grade nine after they had been paired together for a science project. She was no-nonsense, all work and no play. Yet something between them had just clicked, and the two had been close ever since. Their relationship was different from his one with Mendel and Trina, they hadn’t known each other as long, meaning Marvin felt more comfortable talking with her about certain things.

“Hey bitches!”

Suddenly, a Cordelia appeared.

Marvin had met Cordelia a year later, she was the girl that Charlotte had been crushing on since grade seven. Charlotte finally had the courage to ask her out in grade ten, and the couple had been inseparable ever since.

“Hey, Delia. Guys, could we like, move, because I am turning into a human popsicle as we speak.”

The girls laughed, but the three of them started on to the parking lot. Mendel always gave Marvin a ride to and from school via his mom’s minivan, and Marvin could only hope that he was currently blasting the heat.

“Hey, I ran into Mendel in the hall earlier and he told me about your sidewalk fiasco,” Charlotte said, tugging Marvin’s toque down further around his ears.

Cordelia raised an eyebrow, “his what?”

Marvin lowered his head, not wanting to relive this experience again.

“He slipped and fell on the sidewalk, then yelled ‘fuck me’ and some guy totally tried to take him up on his offer.”

“What?!” Cordelia exclaimed, lightly swatting Marvin on his shoulder.

“Hey, you’re making it sound weirder than it was. He just jokingly said ‘when and where,” and helped me up.”

“Marv, that’s pretty gay,” Cordelia decided.

“Who was this guy anyway?” Charlotte interjected. 

“I don’t know his name,” Marvin shrugged. “Hopefully I’ll never see him again.”

Marvin approached the minivan, where luckily, Mendel was already sitting inside. Marvin was ready to launch himself through the door and be engulfed in the warmth, but he was stopped by Cordelia.

“Wait, Marv, I’m having a party on Friday, you should come by.”

Marvin raised his eyebrow. “A party?”

“Yeah, my parents are out of town, so I thought I’d throw a light rager.”

“I’ll think about it, but I might have stuff to do.”

“Come on Marvin, the semester is over,” Charlotte whined. “Live a little, it’s just one night. And ask Trina and Mendel to come.”

“Fine,” Marvin said, defeated, as he released himself from Cordelia’s iron grip and hopped into the passenger’s seat of Mendel’s car.

Luckily, Mendel was blasting the heat, allowing Marvin to start defrosting.

“Hey man,” he said as Marvin chucked his backpack in the backseat.

“Hey Mendel, no Trina?”

He shook his head. “She has cheerleading practice, said to go without us.”

“Oh. Well, Cordelia invited the three of us to a party on Friday.”

Mendel raised an eyebrow. “A party? Are you gonna go?”

Marvin shrugged. “I don’t know, parties aren’t really my thing.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

Marvin snapped his head around to give Mendel an offended look.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s just, you’re not exactly a people person. Remember that time in like, sixth grade when you charged interest when lending out pencils?”

Marvin crossed his arms. “You know what, I will go to this party. And I am going to enjoy the fuck out of myself.”


	3. Tide PODS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Uh…well…I was just shopping for laundry detergent.”
> 
> “Yeah, I noticed,” said the boy, gesturing to the aisle in front of them packed to the brim with laundry detergent. “Do you…need help?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the time of the Valen

Marvin was not going to enjoy himself. Ever since he had so confidently told Mendel he was going to attend the party, he had been dreading it all week. Charlotte and Cordelia were overjoyed to hear that he was going, and Trina decided she would go just to see how it would pan out with Marvin. To be fair, this hadn’t been his greatest feat when it game to decision making.

It was Thursday night, and Marvin was currently standing in the middle of the supermarket staring down the laundry detergent section.

Marvin’s parents were constantly on whatever business trips, only coming home for a few weeks at a time. At the moment, they wouldn’t be back for three full months. Since they were gone for so long, it was Marvin’s responsibility to take care of things such as the laundry. Marvin had been having to do his own laundry for a while, ever since his parents had begun to leave for long periods of time, but he never really learned how to do it properly. His main course of action was to just throw in a Tide POD and hope for the best.

But what kind of Tide POD should he buy? Was there really that much of a difference? Should he get the regular kind, free and gentle, or fresh coral blast? Why were there so many options? Should he get Tide with Downy? Did he need fabric softener?

“Snack shopping?”

Marvin looked to his right, where the mysterious yet familiar voice came from. Standing beside him was the same boy from the sidewalk, but this time he was earmuff-less. Was this guy following him? Or did he just have some sort of radar to always catch Marvin in awkward situations? Marvin stood there like an idiot, staring at this boy with his mouth hanging halfway open.

“I wasn’t gonna say anything, but I’ve walked past this aisle several times and I haven’t seen you move a centimetre in twenty minutes. I believe we’ve met.”

Over the past few days since the sidewalk incident, Marvin had almost managed to forget about it. Not anymore.

“Uh…well…I was just shopping for laundry detergent.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” said the boy, gesturing to the aisle in front of them packed to the brim with laundry detergent. “Do you…need help?”

Marvin was ready to reject this guy, to be free of his gaze. But the truth was, Marvin really did need help. And as nervous as this guy made him, there was also something oddly comforting about talking to him. Marvin relented.

“I don’t know why there are so many different kinds of Tide PODS,” Marvin said, admitting defeat.

The boy smiled, seemingly enjoying Marvin’s hopelessness when it came to detergent. He reached forward and pulled a white tub off the shelf, handing it off to Marvin.

“I’d go with Free & Gentle, it’s what my Bubbe uses.”

“Oh, um…thanks, I guess.”

This was one of the weirder encounters of Marvin’s life. He was standing in the middle of a supermarket, picking out laundry detergent with a boy he barely knew. The boy took it in stride, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Marvin attempted to shift the conversation to something a little less odd.

The boy was holding a grocery basket filled to the brim with hand towels, cake mix, and…condoms?

“You uh…you’ve got plans, I see?” Marvin said rather awkwardly, gesturing to the basket.

The boy looked down at the objects in his arms, still speaking rather casually.

“Oh, yeah, I guess you could say that.”

The boy still had a slight smirk on his face. Like he could tell how awkward and uncomfortable Marvin was being but was enjoying it anyways. After a short silence in which the two boys just stared at one another, Marvin felt a sudden surge of confidence.

“Look, I know that you’re judging me right now by my inability to pick out laundry detergent, and furthermore, my inability to walk over a patch of ice without falling,” Marvin said, trying to sound intimidating but failing due to the fact that he had to look up in order to face the taller boy. “But I’ve only spoken to you twice and you’ve already managed to make me feel like an idiot both times.”

The boy looked Marvin up and down, then stuck out his hand for Marvin to shake. The gesture felt eerily similar to before, when Marvin had been helped off of the cold patch of ice.

“I’m Whizzer Brown,” he said, still waiting for Marvin to take his hand.

Maybe Marvin was being petty by waiting so long before finally shaking his hand, but petty he was.

“Marvin Cohen,” he replied, firmly shaking.

“You’re cute when you’re mad,” Whizzer said, releasing Marvin’s hand.

Marvin scrunched his eyebrows together, trying his best to look annoyed. This guy was starting to get on his nerves. Marvin attempted to cross his arms, but that proved to be a struggle since he still had the container of Tide PODS in his hands.

“I haven’t seen you around school much,” Marvin said, changing the subject.

Whizzer shifted his stance, so he was maintaining his weight on one foot. This guy had such an aura of confidence, it radiated off of him. He even dressed cool, with his black skinny jeans and a bomber jacket. The jacket was covered in various patches and pins, most notably a rainbow pride pin near where the lapel would be. He put his free hand in the pocket of said jacket, not once breaking eye contact.

“I went to a school across the city for my first two years of high school. Moved to this one in September.”

“Huh,” was all Marvin replied.

Marvin had a bad habit of asking people questions he knew he wouldn’t know how to respond to. This was one of those times. Whizzer didn’t seem to notice, saving Marvin from attempting to fill any awkward silences.

“Well, I guess I’ll let you attend to your…” He gestured to Whizzer’s basket filled with miscellaneous items, “…business.”

God, why was Marvin so awkward?

“Right. Well, hopefully I’ll see you around, Marv,” Whizzer said coolly.

He readjusted the basket in his elbow, and promptly walked in the other direction out of the aisle, leaving Marvin alone, and just plain confused.

At least he had his Tide PODS.


	4. Pretzels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I don’t even like pretzels,” Marvin declared, as he forced another handful into his mouth.

“I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t think you’d show.”

Marvin sat on the counter of the island in Cordelia’s house, as she emptied bags of chips into an assortment of bowls. Marvin did not know how parties worked, which was why he had shown up on time. Apparently by everyone else’s standards, on time was early.

At that time, the only people there were Cordelia, Charlotte, and him. He was immediately put to work, hiding any valuables that a drunk teenager might try to break. He had managed to stow away most of the vases and electronics, then reported back to the girls.

“Hey, I can be spontaneous,” Marvin said seriously, causing the Charlotte to stifle a laugh.

He just rolled his eyes and tried to ignore his friends. Cordelia had a nice house, perfect for a party like this. Of course, Marvin could never understand why anyone would ever choose to host a party, it all seemed too stressful. But she had a fairly big house, nice kitchen, large living room, and a big backyard. He had no doubt this house would be packed by the end of the night, Cordelia was one of those girls that knew everyone at least a little bit.

Marvin snatched a potato chip from one of the bowls, despite Cordelia’s protests. He then hopped of the counter and proceeded to help Charlotte set the drinks out on the counter.

“I have to say, you cleaned up nice, Marv,” said Charlotte as she filled up Marvin’s arms with cheap off-brand beer.

Marvin didn’t really know how to dress for a party, he had to enlist the help of Trina for that part. He wore light denim jeans that narrowed at the ankle, along with a white T-shirt under his favourite red hoodie. Trina could pry that hoodie from his cold, dead, hands. The girls, on the other hand, went with a much trendier look. Cordelia in her crop top and flowy skirt and Charlotte in her flannel and high-waisted jeans, looked like they were straight out of a magazine.

“I try,” was all he replied, setting down the boxes of cans on the counter.

Within an hour, the house had filled up. Mostly kids from their school, but a few were kids Cordelia knew from other schools. As the music blasted through the speakers, Marvin couldn’t help but feel bad for any neighbours that might have been trying to sleep. He elbowed through the thick crowds of drunken teenagers, having lost any trace of Charlotte or Cordelia half an hour ago. Maybe he had made a mistake, he definitely didn’t belong there.

He could feel the floorboards vibrating through his feet, he frantically looked around for any sight of a familiar face. Marvin was never one for drinking, and he had already tried too many new things for one day. He weaved through the throngs of people, suddenly grateful he wasn’t tall. Finally, he spotted his curly-haired savior.

“Mendel! Over here!” Marvin exclaimed, trying to gain the guy’s attention.

Mendel also look relieved at the sight of his friend, and the two quickly made their way over to one another, meeting in a corner beside a grandfather clock.

“Geeze Marvin, you do not look like you’re handling this well.”

“Is it that obvious?” Marvin asked, briefly dodging what appeared to be a shoe flying through the air.

“Hey man, no one will judge if you need to tap out early.”

Mendel pushed up the sleeves of his cardigan, revealing an assortment of homemade bracelets lining his arms. While Mendel wasn’t the party animal type, he was more at home in this environment than Marvin. He was currently sipping out of a red solo cup, high-key judging Marvin.

“No way, I’m gonna stick it out till the end of the night, or at least until I get tired.”

Mendel rolled his eyes. “That’s what I’m talking about, there’s no shame in having a ten o’clock bedtime when you’re sixteen, even though there’s definitely shame. Look, I’m not expecting you to stick this out through the night like the rest of us. You can always go home and sleep in your room, or, you can live a little and fall asleep in a random bed with a random stranger.”

“God, Mendel, you honestly need to chill.”

Mendel opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a sudden roar from the living room. A certain group of baseball players had stabbed holes in the bottoms of beer cans and were currently in the middle of a chugging contest. Teenagers surrounded them, egging them on and shouting cheers of encouragement. Marvin looked back to Mendel to see Trina now standing beside him.

“Hey Marv! Glad to see you’re spreading your wings,” she said jokingly with a smile.

Marvin noticed she was standing abnormally close to Mendel.

“Well, you wouldn’t be the first.”

Trina also wasn’t a party person, just not on the same scale as Marvin. She adapted quickly, at least when she was around people she knew.

“I heard they’re starting a game of never have I ever, you wanna join?”

“Never have I ever?” Marvin said in slight disgust, “what are we, twelve?”

“Well, to each their own,” Trina declared.

She grabbed Mendel’s hand, and pulled him along. The look of yearning in Mendel’s face as he was whisked away by Trina did not go unnoticed by Marvin.

Now, Marvin was left alone. He wasn’t really alone, he was surrounded by dozens of teenagers, yet he felt alone in his little bubble of solitude. For a few minutes, he just stood there, watching people pass him by. There were couples dancing, friends laughing, strangers making out, and a whole lot of drinking by people across the grid. Marvin thought of the one thing that never failed to comfort him when he was overwhelmed. Food.

He slowly made his way towards the kitchen, growing increasingly more uncomfortable in the heated crowd of people. He found himself caught in between groups of friends, and pretty girls that wanted to dance with him. He quickly removed himself from the masses and stumbled into the kitchen. The kitchen was filled with kids refilling piles of red solo cups for their friends, along with the occasional designated driver trying to wrestle their drunk friends away from the bottles of alcohol.

Marvin dodged around the people, managing to swipe the virtually untouched bowl of pretzels. He held onto that bowl for dear life, shielding it from the careless teenagers all while trying to tune out the pounding music ringing through his ears. Marvin carefully scanned the area, searching for any place he could get away from the party’s suffocating atmosphere.

He shuffled over to the dining room, the people around him didn’t seem to notice as he sunk to the floor and crawled under the table, pretzels still in hand. He felt free down here, viewing the party from a non-claustrophobic, liberating point of view. Was this what it felt like to be a genius? Marvin felt utterly euphoric as he shoved one pretzel after another into his mouth.

“Mind if I join you?”

Marvin practically jumped a meter into the air when he heard that voice appear beside him. He turned to his left to see none other than Whizzer, on all fours, crawling over to sit beside him.

“What brings you here?” Marvin asked once he collected himself.

Whizzer shrugged, criss-crossing his legs. “Same as you, I suppose, I’m not one for crowds.”

Marvin sneakily looked Whizzer up and down. He was dressed similarly to before, but this time with some motorcycle shirt underneath his jacket. Marvin would never admit it, but he was glad to have company, even if it was with Whizzer of all people.

“Pretzel?” Marvin offered, moving the bowl out towards the other boy.

“Why thank you, kind sir,” Whizzer said in a jokingly dramatic tone.

He took a handful of pretzels and held them in his hand, eating them one at a time.

“I don’t even like pretzels,” Marvin declared, as he forced another handful into his mouth.

“I don’t think anyone actually likes pretzels,” Whizzer said, eating another.

As the two boys talked, they looked straight ahead, watching the crowd from underneath the table.

“It’s like, they taste like nothing and they have a weird dry texture. They have a bad aftertaste too, I don’t enjoy eating them, I just do.”

Whizzer nodded along, listening to everything Marvin said.

“Here,” Whizzer said, handing over the red solo cup that was sitting beside him. “For the aftertaste.”

Marvin shook his head, “I don’t drink.”

Whizzer smiled, still holding out the cup. “Me neither, it’s just water.”

Marvin raised an eyebrow suspiciously, taking the cup in his had. He not so secretly sniffed it before taking a sip. And, it was just water.

“You don’t drink?” Marvin said in disbelief. “I can’t say I’m not surprised.”

Whizzer just shrugged, taking the cup back from Marvin and sipping from it himself.

“I’d rather keep a clear head, don’t wanna end up doing something I regret. Besides, it’s reassuring to know you can be a designated driver.”

Marvin would be lying if he said he wasn’t at least mildly impressed. Marvin immediately took Whizzer for the drunken partying type, and it was almost heartwarming when he was proved wrong.

“Hold on,” Whizzer said, suddenly digging around in his pocket.

Marvin was curious to see what Whizzer was retrieving, and he definitely didn’t expect Whizzer to pull out two ring pops. He held one out as an offer to Marvin, posing himself as he were proposing.

“Marv, would you make me the happiest man in the world, and accept this ring pop?”

Marvin grinned. “It would be my honour.”

As the two of them talked, Marvin didn’t even notice as the time melted away. They ate their ring pops, examining the crowd before them and making fun of the stupid things people did. Marvin wasn’t a great conversationalist, but it was almost too easy to talk to Whizzer.

“I just use Vaseline,” Marvin stated.

“Are you kidding me? Only douchebags use petroleum jelly for lip balm. I feel bad for whatever person you’re kissing-”

“Hey, I’m allergic to basically every other lip balm, so I’d rather not have my lips blistering than worry about how my mouth tastes. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather kiss petroleum jelly than some gross, blistery lips,”

“Not even Burt’s Bees?”

Marvin shook his head. “Nothing. Once when I was at camp, I got desperate and used some EOS and my mouth was a disaster for the whole week.”

Whizzer laughed. “Shit, man. I’m gonna be honest, I go with that classic strawberry balm, can’t go wrong.”

The two had finished the bowl of pretzels ages ago, yet Whizzer continued to miraculously pull snacks out of his pockets.

“The other night, I had this really weird dream,” Whizzer began as he pulled out a pack of M&Ms to share.

At this point in the night, the music started to slow down as the teenagers began to crash. While there were still mobs of kids hanging around and shouting, along with a group now playing truth or dare in the living room, there was also a considerable number that had collapsed into sleep on the couches or the floor. Marvin was somewhat proud that he had made it so far into the night, even though he could feel himself growing more tired as his yawns became more frequent.

“Most of my dreams contain either famous people or tv characters, but they’re there casually. Like once, all the guys from the Scooby-Doo cartoons were there at the same time as some of my classmates,” Whizzer continued. “Nothing ever interesting happens in them though.”

“I don’t usually dream,” Marvin said, “but when I do, they’re bad.”

Marvin turned his head to look at Whizzer, his drowsiness getting the best of him. He lazily rubbed his eyes, trying to fight his exhaustion. Whizzer was just as attentive as ever.

“My dreams aren’t about anything specifically, nothing actually happens. It’s more of a feeling. All I really remember is this feeling of like, debt, and not being able to escape this crushing emotional weight,” Marvin continued.

Whizzer gave Marvin a sincere look, one of a sort of understanding.

“And when I wake up, it feels like I’m still in the dream. It’s just this overwhelming feeling of panic, and I run around my empty house, feeling powerless and struggling to breath. When I finally manage to fall asleep, I wake up and I can’t remember why I felt so panicked.”

Whizzer just looked at Marvin, saying nothing yet saying everything. The two of them sat without speaking, just watching as the night began to die down. Marvin was relaxed, feeling separated from the chaos of the party as he sat with Whizzer under the table. Before he knew it, he had drifted off into a peaceful sleep.


	5. Looney Tunes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why are you under a table?”
> 
> “Why aren’t you under a table?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> text conversations are a bitch to write

“Marvin? Hey, Marv, wake up.”

Marvin rubbed his eyes as he slowly came to his senses. He was met with the cold, hardwood floor against his back, and a jacket draped over his torso. He sat up, desperately blinking his eyes to try to stay awake. Upon closer examination, he saw the jacket draped over Marvin’s side was none other than Whizzer’s bomber jacket. He also looked down to see a pillow underneath where his head had been.

“What time is it?”

“It’s four in the morning,” Mendel replied. “Why are you under a table?”

“Why _aren’t_ you under a table?” Marvin shot back, still not 100% aware of what was happening.

“Come on,” Mendel said, grabbing Marvin’s arm as he helped him up from under the table. “I figured you might wanna sleep in your own bed.”

Marvin stumbled to his feet, making sure to take the jacket with him. He glanced around the once packed house, which was snow littered with his sleeping classmates draped over various furniture, some just collapsed onto the floor. Marvin felt bad that Cordelia would be left to clean this up, there were cups and assorted scraps of garbage thrown across the floor. He scanned the room, hoping for any sight of Whizzer so he could return his jacket, but to no avail.

“Where is everyone?” Marvin asked, following close behind Mendel at a rather slow pace.

“Trina went home around midnight, Charlotte and Cordelia are probably in her room or something.”

Mendel led Marvin outside and towards his minivan, which was parked nearby. It was still dark outside, and far too chilly for Marvin’s taste. He put on Whizzer’s jacket and hugged it tightly around himself to keep warm, he would return it later. Marvin hopped into the driver’s side as Mendel took shotgun, Marvin was too responsible to let him drive.

Marvin could already see the dark bags forming under Mendel’s eyes, sure signs of a hangover. He rested his head against the window as Marvin took off into the morning.

“Hey, is it alright if I crash at your place?” Mendel asked, “it’s what I told my mom anyways, she’d never let me go to a party.”

“Sure,” Marvin replied.

Mendel often stayed over at Marvin’s house, ever since they were little. At first, it was always a big deal since Marvin’s parents were never home and they could stay up and eat junk food. At a certain point however, they realized that they would rather get eight hours of sleep and eat an entire watermelon.

Marvin pulled into his driveway and the two boys exited the vehicle. Marvin was glad to see that his house key was still in his pocket as he went to unlock the door. There was no speaking between the two friends as they silently retreated upstairs, Mendel taking one of the guest rooms he usually slept in.

Once Marvin got inside his room, he immediately flopped down onto his bed. The hardwood floors of Cordelia’s dining room did not bode well for his back. This past night had been a lot for him, he couldn’t help but somewhat regret his decision to go to the party. Yet, he didn’t regret it at all. The first few hours were hell, yes, but once he found refuge under the table with Whizzer, the night actually grew enjoyable.

Marvin burrowed under the blankets, trying as hard as he could to fall asleep. He made a mental note of everything he had to do that morning, before finally drifting off into a much more peaceful sleep that the one at the party.

________________________________

Marvin woke up around ten, glad that it was the weekend. When he finally managed to roll himself out of bed, he changed into some more comfortable clothes and left Whizzer’s jacket on his bed.

Note to Marvin: return that jacket.

Question to Marvin: why was that jacket draped over him in the first place?

Marvin walked through the cold dark halls of his too big and too empty house. He passed the guest room Mendel was in, briefly poking his head in. His best friend was still collapsed into a deep sleep, so Marvin decided he would just let him rest.

He slunk down the stairs, heading straight for the coffee maker, Marvin couldn’t survive without his coffee.

This had become the normal routine for Marvin, wake up alone, have breakfast alone, go to school alone, and come home alone. In a way, he was lucky since his parents’ jobs brought in lots of money, but Marvin would rather have his parents there. For the short amounts of time they weren’t on business trips, they acted as if they had never been gone. Then, a few weeks later, they left again.

Marvin sat in silence, aimlessly staring at the coffee maker as he waited for his mug to fill up. He was stuck in such a deep trance, he almost didn’t notice when his phone vibrated. He turned it over in his hands to see a text from Charlotte.

**left so soon?**

_mendel dragged me out so he could sleep at my house_

**dang u missed the clean up crew**

_oh no what a shame_

**lol**

_what r u doing later_

**prob just hanging out here**

**y**

_no reason im just bored_

**mendel isnt awake yet**

_rip_

**gtg delia dropped a glass bottle on the floor**

_:0_

Marvin put his phone down, picking up his now full mug of coffee. He sat at the breakfast bar and flipped on the TV in the living room, so he could watch from a distance. At the moment, the best thing on was some old Wile E Coyote cartoons, and Marvin was living for it. After a while, Mendel came trudging down the stairs.

“You look like shit, Mend.”

“I know, I know, just get me some cereal why don’t you.”

Marvin reached over and pulled out a box of Cheerios, which Mendel ate dry, straight out of the box.

“Why the hell are you watching Looney Tunes?”

“Because Wile E is a mood, okay?”

Mendel rolled his eyes, jamming another mouthful of Cheerios into his mouth.

“What classes are you starting on Monday?”

Ah yes, Monday, the beginning of a new semester. In Marvin’s case, that meant he had all new classes. He wasn’t expecting many of them to be with Mendel, he took a lot of obscure AP classes.   
Marvin on the other hand, took a lot of maths and computer classes, which didn’t line up with Mendel’s social sciences.

“I’ve got lit, physics, pre-calc, spare after lunch, and photography.”

“Photography?” 

Marvin shrugged. “It looks good on university apps, I had room for it.”

Mendel nodded, “I think I have the same lit class as you.”

The two sat there for a long while, just watching Buggs Bunny cartoons and talking about nothing. Marvin enjoyed the breaks in between semesters, they allowed him to somewhat reboot his system.

“Hey,” said Mendel suddenly, “what do you think would happen if I just went outside and stabbed someone?”

“I think you’d go to prison, Mendel.”


	6. Sick Tattoos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Right, so you fell asleep, and he used his jacket as a blanket for you.”
> 
> Marvin shrugged. “I guess so?”
> 
> “Oh yes, that sounds exactly like something an acquaintance would do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jason makes an entraaaaance

“I just don’t understand why I need to learn surface area, I mean what am I going to use this for?”

“Jason, I’m not here to teach you the complexities of the modern school system, but I am here to help you with your math homework, so let’s just do that.”

Marvin tutored Jason every Sunday afternoon. He was an eighth grader at an elementary school near where Marvin lived, he had been tutoring this kid for a few years. He didn’t really need the money, but the kid was nice, and it looked good on his resume.

Well, the kid was nice, but he was also a lot. He was wise beyond his years, and he knew it. Jason would much rather be playing chess or getting into a Twitter war with a politician from France than do his homework.

Jason dropped his head onto the table with a thump. This kid sure did have a flair for the dramatics. Marvin sighed, and dropped the textbook he was holding onto the table, this caused Jason to look up.

“What’s your problem?” Jason asked, crossing his arms. “You look kinda awful.”

Marvin rubbed his face, annoyed that Jason was asking him about his personal life, yet somewhat grateful to be given an escape from the circle of hell known as pi.

“I was at a party Friday night.”

Marvin noticed a twinkle in Jason’s eye, his curiosity growing.

“Oooh, anything interesting happen?”

Marvin crossed his arms and rested them on the table, knowing full well that he didn’t need to tell Jason anything, but he did anyways.

“Not really, I spent most of the night eating pretzels underneath a table with some guy.”

Jason raised his eyebrows, conveying a look that said, ‘I know what’s really going on here.’

“Some guy, huh?”

Marvin narrowed his eyebrows. “Not like that, Jason. I barely know him.”

“Sure, you’re not exactly discreet, what with your jacket and all.”

Marvin looked down, he forgot he was wearing Whizzer’s jacket, particularly the one with the pride pin. He quickly took it off and stuffed it in his backpack.

“It’s not, it’s not my jacket,” he said, desperately trying to prevent Jason from getting the wrong idea. “It’s just the guy’s from the party-”

Jason smirked, “Oh right, you’re just wearing the jacket of the guy you spent all night with, I’m sure there’s nothing there.”

Marvin pointed a stern finger at Jason, “Hey, I know what that sounded like, but that’s not what I meant.”

“Right.”

“I’m serious.”

“Sure.”

“I’m not lying.”

“I bet you aren’t.”

“I’m not.”

Jason just sat back in his seat across from Marvin with a smug look on his face. He clearly wasn’t picking up what Marvin was putting down. Why was this kid so persistent, and why was he so wise beyond his years?

“How did you get his jacket anyway?” Jason asked as he pulled out another worksheet.

Marvin shrugged. “I don’t know, it was on top of me when I woke up.”

“So, what you’re saying is that you slept with him?” Jason said too loudly considering they were in a public library. Marvin noticed a few heads turn.

“No, no, Jason…” Marvin nervously looked around at the staring faces before turning back to Jason. “I fell asleep, and then when I woke up, his jacket was draped over me.”

“Right, so you fell asleep, and he used his jacket as a blanket for you.”

Marvin shrugged. “I guess so?”

“Oh yes, that sounds exactly like something an acquaintance would do.”

Marvin glared at the kid, who was enjoying this way too much.

“Let’s just get back to math.”

__________________________

Marvin first few classes had gone rather well. He had lit with Mendel, physics with Charlotte and Cordelia, and pre-calculus with Trina. He only had one class left in the day, but he knew for sure that he didn’t share it with any of his friends. He walked into the photography class, which was taking place in the art room. Marvin had heard that this wasn’t exactly a top notch class, but rather was taught by a teacher who had no idea what they were doing. It didn’t matter that much to Marvin though, he was just here for the credit.

He took a seat in the back corner of the classroom, then surveyed the room as it began to fill up. He didn’t recognize anyone yet, and he found himself growing nervous that he would be stuck there alone for the next five months. In an effort to distract himself, Marvin pulled out his notebook.

He never wrote anything interesting in the notebook. Any writing in it was a weird quote he would hear someone in the street say that he never wanted to forget, or an existential thought he had. For the most part, it was just doodles. He pulled out his favourite pen and started sketching a pointless design in the margins of a page.

“Nice jacket.”

Once again appearing at Marvin’s side, was Whizzer. This seemed to be a reoccurring theme for him. Whizzer took the seat next to Marvin, setting his messenger bag on the table.

“Oh, sorry,” Marvin said, moving to take off Whizzer’s bomber jacket. He wore it with the intent of returning it, but he hadn’t seen him all day until now.

“No, wear it,” Whizzer said, holding up a hand to halt Marvin. “You look like you’re about to die of hypothermia.”

Whizzer was right about that, Marvin was basically a human icebox. 

“So,” said Whizzer, unpacking his bag, “what brings you to photography class?”

Marvin quickly shut his notebook, preferring to keep the contents to himself. Marvin had a similar question for Whizzer on his mind, but it was more along the lines of: why would Whizzer choose to sit next to him? Marvin wasn’t exactly cool, sitting beside him would do nothing to boost your social status. Whizzer, on the other hand, was the definition of mysterious.

“I’m mostly just here for the credit.”

“Ugh, that’s so lame, Marv.”

Marvin just shrugged, and the two were engulfed in an empty pause as Whizzer dug through his bag.

“So…where did you go during the party on Friday?”

Was is weird that Marvin was asking that? Did it make him seem clingy? Maybe he should have played it cool, like “I don’t care where you went because I have better things in my life to worry about.”   
Ugh, Marvin fucked up.

“Some of my friends from my old school were at that party, I had to drive them home before they did anything too dangerous,” Whizzer said nonchalantly, tipping back in his chair slightly.

“Oh.”

Huh, that was actually quite a responsible thing to do. Before Marvin could say anything else, the bell went off, startling him. A very tired, bored, and probably under-qualified teacher walked in to address the class. For the full hour, he just played some YouTube video explaining how to adjust camera settings. Marvin was already starting to regret taking this course.

He looked around and saw that everyone else in this class was just as bored as he was. Most kids had just taken up quiet whispers, making Marvin feel better when he took out his notebook again with the intent of ignoring the video.

He scribbled away, trying his best to tune out the world around him. He didn’t even notice that someone was quite clearly looking over his shoulder.

“You draw?”

Marvin felt himself jump out of his skin at the sound of Whizzer’s voice. He looked to his right, where Whizzer was leaning towards him in an effort to better see what Marvin was doing. Marvin finally felt self-conscious.

“Um, no, I just sort of doodle whatever.”

“Well, it looks nice.”

Whizzer spoke in a hushed tone, resting his head on his hand. Marvin was hoping the subject would be dropped, but Whizzer just continued to watch him sketch. Marvin didn’t really like to be at the forefront of things.

“Can you draw me something?”

Marvin was surprised, no one had ever asked him that before.

“Like what?”

“Anything.”

Marvin made a quick and desperate glance across their table.

“I don’t have any scrap paper.”

Rather than go diving into his books, Whizzer instead rolled up his sleeve and stuck out his arm in front of Marvin.

“There, the world’s your canvas.”

Marvin looked into Whizzer’s eyes, only to see that they were filled with dead seriousness. Marvin smiled shyly, took Whizzer’s wrist in his hand to steady him, then got to work. He found himself being extra careful not to fuck up as he sketched swirly, flowery designs up Whizzer’s arm. Whizzer just watched him the entire time, paying no attention to the video at the front of the class.

Marvin didn’t even realize how much time had passed when the final bell went.

“Alright kids come up to the front and grab a rubric sheet, you’ll be working on this project for the rest of the week with your desk partner. You’re free to go,” the teacher said lazily.

“Who the hell assigns a project on the first class?” Marvin complained, picking up the incredibly vague rubric.

“A teacher that doesn’t want to teach anything for the rest of the week,” said Whizzer coolly, also picking up a sheet. “I guess we’re partners.”

“Yeah, I guess we are,” Marvin replied, trying to sound as casual as possible.

The two walked out of the classroom side by side, stopping just outside the door. Marvin pulled off Whizzer’s jacket and handed it over.

“Here,” he said, “thanks for letting me borrow it.”

“No problem,” Whizzer replied, hooking his jacket over his arm. “Thanks for the sick tattoos.”

Marvin smiled. “It isn’t art, but it’s something.”

“Hey! Whizzer!”

Cordelia came running down the halls, envelope in hand.

“Hey Delia,” Whizzer replied.

Wait, they knew each other?

“I found that apple pie recipe you were asking about,” she said, handing the envelope over.

Marvin just stood in between the two of them, looking back and forth as they spoke.

“Aw, thanks Delia,” Whizzer said, tucking the envelope into his messenger bag. He then leaned over to give her a quick peck on the cheek.

He looked to Marvin with a smile, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Marv.”

He shot him a sly wink, before departing down the hall. Cordelia still stood beside Marvin, now with a curious look.

“How do you know Whizzer?”

Marvin raised an eyebrow. “How do you know Whizzer?”

“He was in my history class last semester, we sat together. What about you?”

Marvin hesitated for a moment, looking down the hallway to make sure Whizzer was out of earshot.

“That was the guy from the sidewalk.”

Cordelia laughed, “holy shit, really? That’s rich. Whizzer’s like that, he flirts with everyone.”

Marvin shrugged, feeling a little less special. The two friends began to walk down the hall, in the direction of their lockers.

“I spent most of the party with him,” Marvin said as they rounded the corner.

“Really?” Cordelia asked, a mixture of surprise and giddiness present in her voice. “Like, with him, with him?”

They reached Marvin’s locker, and Cordelia leaned up against the wall as Marvin rifled through it, knowing she needed to get more out of him.

“What? No, not like that. We just hung out.”

“Right, ‘hung out,’ sure,” she said, unconvinced. “So, do you like him?”

Marvin continued to shove binders into his backpack.

“He’s nice.”

“Come on, you know what I mean.”

Marvin paused what he was doing and turned to Cordelia with narrowed eyes.

“I’m straight, Cordelia.”

“Yeah, sure you are.”

“I am! I dated Trina, remember?”

She rolled her eyes, “we both know that means nothing. Everyone is at least a little bit gay.”

“Well, not me,” Marvin declared.

He could tell that she wasn’t convinced, but Marvin wasn’t going to bother wasting his breath. He zipped up his backpack, and the two continued their descent towards the front door. A few hallways down, Charlotte joined their little group.

“What’s up, hoes?”

“Nothing much, Marvin just has the hots for a guy.”

“What?!”

“Hey, no I don’t,” Marvin firmly interjected.

Charlotte grinned and lightly punched him on the shoulder.

“Who is it?”

“Whizzer, the guy with the black clothes and the good hair from my history class,” Cordelia answered for him.

“I don-”

“That guy? Damn, Marv, I didn’t think that cool and mysterious was your type.”

“It’s not-”

“Whizzer only seems that way on the outside, he’s actually a sweetie pie.”

Marvin glared at the two girls, who were having an entire conversation for him. He did not have a crush on Whizzer, damn it.


	7. Not A Gay Crisis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Marvin, no matter how much denial you’re in right now, we have to fix this gay crisis,” Charlotte interjected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whizzer's house ;;;;;;;)

For the next few days, Marvin and Whizzer continued to work on their project in photography class. As vague as the instructions were, Whizzer seemed to be taking it very seriously. They were supposed to gather photos of them from when they were young and create a visual timeline of their lives up until present.

During the week, they had yet to bring in actual pictures. Whizzer kept making up excuses as to why he hadn’t brought his and Marvin, well, Marvin straight up couldn’t find any. He had called his parents various times through the week to ask them where their old photo albums were, but they had been no help. Now, on Thursday, Marvin still hadn’t found anything.

“Alright, guys,” the teacher said, finally rising from his chair in the final minutes of class. “Now, these projects are to be handed in at the beginning of tomorrow’s class, so…like, do them”

Whizzer pulled out his phone to check the time, then turned to Marvin.

“Do you wanna come over to my place tonight and finish the collage?”

“Your…your place?”

“Yeah, unless you have plans.”

“Oh…no, I don’t have plans.”

“Tight, give me your phone.”

Marvin fished his phone out of his pocket and set it in Whizzer’s hand, already unlocked. Whizzer quickly inputted his number before handing the phone back.

“Alright, text me and I’ll give you an address and time.”

“Okay, do you-”

Marvin was cut off by the ringing of the bell. Whizzer was already up out of his seat, and halfway out the door. Marvin sighed to himself, then scooped up all his belongings before he, too, made his way toward the hall.

As Marvin collected his stuff and started his trek to the parking lot, he thought about what he had just agreed to. He was going over to Whizzer’s house, and now it was far too late to back down. He was so fucking awkward, he always hated going over to other people’s homes, even if they were people he knew well. Now, he had made plans to go over to the house of a guy he really didn’t know that well, what kind of social butterfly did Marvin think he was?

He found himself growing sick at the thought of having to interact with anyone. What if Whizzer’s parents were there? What if they tried to ask him questions? Marvin was frightened of questions.

Marvin hopped into the backseat of Mendel’s minivan, Trina had beat him to the front.

“Taking your time?” Mendel asked, once Marvin had closed the door.

“Sorry, my last class is on the other side of the building.”

Marvin crossed his arms and rubbed his shoulders, trying to warm back up.

“Oh my god, Marvin, it’s warmed up so much in the past week, I don’t understand how you’re always cold,” Trina complained.

“Hey, I can’t control it. Mendel, are you busy later?”

“Yeah, I’m helping my mom make challah. Why?”

Marvin sighed, “I need a ride. I’m going to this guy’s house.”

Out of Marvin’s line of sight, Trina and Mendel simultaneously raised their eyebrows and gave each other a questioning look.

“What for?” Mendel asked, trying not to sound as curious as he actually was.

“Just some project,” Marvin said, staring at his phone and not taking any hint to the silent conversation Trina and Mendel were having in the front seats.

“Oh, well…just ask Charlotte, I’m sure she could take you.”

Marvin shrugged, looking down at the contacts in his phone. Would it be weird to text Whizzer so soon? It was just for a project, so it should be fine, right?

_Hey_

_its marvin_

He put his phone away, waiting impatiently for a response. He tapped he knee nervously, knowing full well that he shouldn’t expect an answer immediately. Yet, a few minutes later, his phone vibrated.

**1107 Oaktree Road**

**come at like 7**

**bring ur pics**

Marvin looked back up to his friends, who were in a deep conversation about something obscure.

“What do you mean you don’t have a playlist for your plants?!”

“Because I’m a regular person, who doesn’t have some weird obsession with cacti!” Trina shot back. 

“Hey, my cacti have always been there for me. Rocco thrives at the sound of cool jazz.”

“You named them?!”

Marvin tried his best to ignore their antics, turning back to his phone so he could text Charlotte.

_U busy tonight?_

**Why? ;)**

_I need a ride_

**Where**

_Whizzers house_

**;;;;;;;;)**

_Stop_

**What time**

_I needa be there for 7_

**We’ll see u at 6**

_We?_

_Char_

_Whos we_

She didn’t reply, which only left Marvin to wonder what was waiting for him at 6 O’clock. Mendel dumped him off at his house, leaving Marvin to wait around in his big empty house until then.

But there was something Marvin still needed to do, he needed to find those pictures. He had already combed the house through, but this house was so big that there were a million places they could be. He began with his parents’ room, where a monstrosity of a closet lay before him.

This was the Everest of closets, untouched and half empty since most of their clothes were in suitcases. It was a grand, walk in closet with a million sliding doors, and shelves which Marvin used to attempt to scale when he was younger.

As Marvin rifled through the closet, he felt like Edmund Hillary, discovering new territory even though it had been there the whole time. After a good hour, he had made it through the entire thing with nothing to show for it. Just a lot of stuff on the floor, in prime position to trip over. And trip over it he did.

As he went crashing to the ground, his eyes were draw right to a nook in between the intersection of two shelves. Tucked behind the white shelfing was a small, brown book. Marvin mustered the courage to lift himself up and crawl over to retrieve the book.

And there it was, the album. Marvin sat criss-cross on the floor, nestled in a cocoon of old quilts that had fallen from a shelf as he flipped through the photos. It almost made him sorrowful, remembering a time where his parents were always around, where his mom would take his photos and cherish them. He noticed that the photos grew less frequent, and eventually stopped around the time he started high school. That was the time his parents started going away for longer and longer.

He didn’t have bad parents, they were just occupied with other things. Marvin knew he was much better off that most kids.

“Marvin!”

The voices of Marvin’s favourite lesbians rang through the halls of his house, forcing Marvin to get up and walk downstairs. He left the door unlocked, knowing that they would be coming by.

“Hey guys. I just needed a ride, you know, not a reinvention.”

Cordelia ran over, grabbing Marvin’s hand and pulling him upstairs. Charlotte followed close behind, not so subtly grabbing a pop out of his fridge and taking it with her. The two girls led him up to his room, forcing him to sit and spill. 

“Tell. Us. Everything.” Charlotte demanded.

Cordelia resumed a position next to Marvin on the bed, Whereas Charlotte took to spinning around in Marvin’s desk chair, sipping from the aluminum can she stole.

“You guys are making this weird, I’m literally just going over to finish a project.”

“Yeah, that’s not the only thing that’ll be finishing.”

“What the actual fuck, Cordelia?”

“Marvin, no matter how much denial you’re in right now, we have to fix this gay crisis,” Charlotte interjected.

“It’s not a gay crisis, because I’m not gay, and we’re just working on a project.”

“‘Working on a project’ my ass, if you wanted to work on this project you could just do it during your spare,” Cordelia argued.

Marvin rolled his eyes, knowing he’d never be able to convince them of the truth. Charlotte got up from the swivel chair and surveyed Marvin.

“You aren’t gonna wear that though, are you?”

Marvin furrowed his brow as he looked himself up and down.

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

“It screams bottom, Marv.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your comments! Each and every one of them means so much to me.
> 
> Marvin is a mess, and we love him.


	8. Apples

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why the fuck do you have a travel first-aid kit?”
> 
> “Oh, you know, just in case I’m at some guy’s house and he cuts his hand while chopping apples for a pie for his Bubbe’s knitting circle.”

Marvin hopped out of Charlotte’s car dressed significantly better than before, with the photo album in hand. He waved them goodbye, trying to ignore the obscene gestures that Cordelia was making through the car window. Once the two girls had departed, Marvin was left to stand in the cool night air, outside Whizzer’s house.

From the outside, the house didn’t look great. It was small, the siding on the outer walls was peeling off, and the small wooden deck looked like it was about to collapse at any second. Marvin hesitantly climbed the steps and knocked on the door.

“Come in!”

The muffled voice came from behind the door, and for a second, Marvin pictured what a great way this was to get murdered. Nonetheless, he decided to walk through that door.

The first thing that hit him was the smell of cinnamon. The house was warm, and the heat immediately engulfed him, letting his previously shaking form relax. He closed the door behind him, and quickly looked around. Whizzer was nowhere in sight, the only person he saw was an old woman sitting in a comfy beaten up chair, knitting what appeared to be a blanket.  
She had wrinkles all around her eyes, crinkling as she looked up to see Marvin. She had a sweet face, immediately making Marvin feel relaxed when she smiled.

“Um…is Whizzer here?”

She lifted up her finger, gesturing to a doorway to Marvin’s left. Marvin thanked her, then shuffled over to where Whizzer apparently was. He found himself in the kitchen, which was cramped and messy, but Marvin could tell it was well loved. Whizzer was standing at the table, covered in flour and punching a ball of dough. He looked up in surprise, panic growing when he saw Marvin.

“Oh my god Marv, I am so sorry. I forgot that I promised to make this pie for my Bubbe’s knitting circle, and I honestly have no idea what I’m doing. I’m really sorry, I’m probably gonna be here for hours.”

As Marvin stood there with his hands in his pockets and his photo album under his arm, he figured he had two options. Stay, or go.

“Do you need help?”

Whizzer looked up, surprised that Marvin wasn’t bolting out the door. He raised an eyebrow.

“You know how to make apple pie?”

“Yeah,” Marvin said as he walked over, already rolling up his sleeves. “Cordelia taught me a thing or two.”

He looked at Whizzer, who was hopelessly stabbing the ball of dough.

“Why don’t you peel and cut the apples, and let me handle the dough.”

Whizzer sighed in relief, “you don’t have to tell me twice.”

Whizzer slid past Marvin to retrieve a bowl of apples on the counter, and Marvin took his place. Whizzer really didn’t know what he was doing, so Marvin took up properly kneading the dough. The two worked in relative silence, Marvin kneading and rolling out the dough, Whizzer cutting up the apples. All they heard was the faint sound of the radio in the living room, Whizzer’s Bubbe must have been listening to it.

“Thanks for helping me with this, you really didn’t have to,” Whizzer said, shattering the silence.

“It’s no problem,” Marvin replied, laying the dough in the pie tin. “I don’t mind, really. But I didn’t take you for the baking type.”

Whizzer laughed lightly, smiling to himself. “I think you know that I’m definitely not the baking type, which is why this pie was shit before you came along.”

Marvin chuckled, “it wasn’t so bad.”

That was a lie. It was bad. But Marvin was managing to salvage it.

“So,” Marvin began, “that’s your Bubbe?”

He gestured with his head to the living room since his hands were occupied.

“Yeah,” Whizzer replied, not looking up as he was concentrating on his knife skills. “My parents died when I was young, so I’ve lived with her most of my life.”

“She seems sweet.”

“She really is.”

“So are you-”

“Shit! Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck fuck me!”

Marvin looked up from his dough rolling to see Whizzer with a knife in one hand, and a blood covered apple in the other. The apple dropped to the floor and the knife to the table as Whizzer clutched his hand.

“Oh, shit.”

Marvin rushed around the table to Whizzer, who only continued to violently swear.

“Let me see,” Marvin said softly, concern growing evident as he furrowed his brow.

Whizzer hesitantly showed Marvin his wound, grimacing when Marvin took his hand.

“It looks pretty deep,” Marvin concluded after examining it for a moment. “I can clean it out for you, where’s your bathroom?”

Marvin quickly grabbed his backpack and let Whizzer lead him to the bathroom, which was just around the corner. Whizzer was not handling this well, he had zero tolerance for pain and was expressing it by listing off every swear in the urban dictionary. The blood was not slowing down, and had already gotten all over both Whizzer and Marvin’s hands, along with Whizzer’s shirt and jeans.

Once they reached the bathroom, Marvin made Whizzer sit on the counter and run his hand under the sink. Meanwhile, Marvin rummaged around in his backpack and pulled out a small red bag.

“The hell is that?” Whizzer asked.

“It’s my travel first-aid kit.”

“Why the fuck do you have a travel first-aid kit?”

“Oh, you know, just in case I’m at some guy’s house and he cuts his hand while chopping apples for a pie for his Bubbe’s knitting circle.”

“…Touché.”

Marvin laughed, unzipping and unpacking the kit onto the counter beside where Whizzer was sitting. He took Whizzer’s hand, moving it out from under the running water and drying it off with a clean towel. Marvin noticed how Whizzer’s other hand clenched the sedge of the counter tightly, his knuckles turning white. As Marvin cleaned out Whizzer’s cut, he could tell that the other boy was trying to hide how much pain he was in.

The cut wasn’t as bad as it initially seemed based on the amount of blood present, it extended down the side of his thumb and a bit onto his palm. Marvin could only imagine how awful Whizzer’s knife technique was in order for him to get a cut like this.

“How do you know how to do this?” Whizzer asked in an attempt to keep his mind off of his hand.

“I took a first-aid course,” Marvin replied. “This is probably the only time it’s come in handy before.”

Marvin finished cleaning out the cut, then covered it with a weird tape bandage. As he repacked the first-aid kit, Whizzer admired Marvin’s handiwork.

“Wow,” he said, “my knight in shining armour.”

Marvin smiled, throwing his backpack over his shoulder. Whizzer hopped off the counter, and the two boys made their way back into the kitchen. The previously flour and blood covered table had now been cleaned off, and Whizzer’s Bubbe was standing at the table weaving a lattice crust onto the almost finished pie. Whizzer rushed forward.

“Oh, no Bubbe you don’t have to, we can finish it-”

Whizzer was cut off when she lifted her hand, promptly silencing him.

“It’s alright dear, I can handle it. Now, why don’t you and your…friend go work on you project.”

Whizzer’s Bubbe spoke in a magical tone that was both commanding and comforting. Marvin didn’t even notice the pause she made before “friend.”

Whizzer hesitated, then nodded, realizing it was probably for the best that he was no longer in charge of the pie. Marvin followed Whizzer two doors down to his bedroom, which was small but mostly neat. Marvin’s eyes were immediately drawn to the pride flag that was hung above his bedframe. Whizzer didn’t have a desk, so the two of them just sat on the floor.

“Did you bring your photos?” Whizzer asked, spreading out the poster board for their collage.

Marvin nodded, pulling out the photo album which he had previously tucked into his backpack. In all honesty, he was a little hesitant about showing these pictures. Not that any of them were embarrassing, but it was just one of those things that made him feel weird.

Whizzer took the book and started flipping through the pages. Each page was a pouch, transparent photos slipped in between the two pieces of plastic. Once he reached the end, he raised an eyebrow and looked at Marvin.

“These are good…but there aren’t any recent ones.”

“Yeah…well…I’m not really the kind of person people take pictures of.”

Whizzer rolled his eyes.

“That’s ridiculous, here.”

Whizzer leaned over and rifled through a drawer beside his bed, pulling out a polaroid camera after a moment.

“Oh, no,” Marvin said, “you really don’t have to-”

“Nonsense,” Whizzer interjected, waving off Marvin’s protests. “Now, show off your pretty face.”

Instinctively, Marvin’s hands flew to cover his face, but Whizzer was too quick. The resultant was a photo of a grinning Marvin, with the background blurred, leaving the focus solely around him. It wasn’t a great quality photo, but there was a certain reality to it.

“There,” Whizzer said, placing the photo down on the collage. “Gorgeous.”

“What about you?” Marvin asked, desperately attempting to turn any attention away from him. “Where are your pictures?”

Whizzer reached into his messenger bag, which was resting against his bedframe, and pulled out an envelope. He chucked it onto the poster board, letting a few photos spill out. Marvin was half expecting to see a leather clad, swiss army knife wielding, motorcycle riding baby. Instead he was met with pictures of a tutu wearing, scooter riding toddler.

Marvin audibly gasped when he saw them.

“You’re so adorable!” Marvin said as he rifled through the pictures. This wasn’t what he was expecting.

Whizzer chuckled. “Yeah, I was a weird kid.”

“No, not weird,” Marvin said, his gaze still trained on the pictures in his hands.

As time went on, the pictures went from a spunky toddler, to a teenager almost always with a group of friends. His pink tutu turned into variations of black clothing, his grin into a shy smile. Marvin held up a photo of Whizzer in the centre of a cluster of teenagers.

“They from your old school?”

Whizzer nodded, taking the picture from Marvin’s hand.

“Yeah, but we don’t really hang out anymore though.”

The two boys got to work sorting out the photos, picking out the best ones and laying them out on the poster board. Whizzer had an entire bucket of craft supplies, including about a dozen types of glitter glue. Marvin was learning more and more surprising things about this guy. As they worked, their conversation drifted off into the deep and unknown.

“Do you ever get that feeling when you’re driving and you just like, get this urge to jerk the wheel and drive into pedestrians. Or you’re like, standing on a bridge, and you kind of want to jump. But you don’t actually want to do any of these things, you just kind of get the urge to.”

Marvin nodded, gluing another photo onto the board, simultaneously getting glue all over his hands.

“I actually read about that once, it’s called the Imp of Perverse.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah, it’s more around the idea that you have the power to do that, but you choose not to.”

“That makes sense. It’s actually kind of insane how much power we as human beings have, like I could stab you right now.”

“But…you’re not going to.”

“Maybe, we’ll see.”

Marvin laughed, smoothing out the last picture onto their collage. They two of them sat back and admired their work. Marvin knew they had put much more effort into this project that most groups, as if that was difficult to do. They sat there silently, looking at what they had created.

Marvin subtly turned his head, so his gaze fell upon Whizzer. He stared at him for what was probably too long, but he couldn’t help but melt a little every time he saw the other boy. Whizzer, too, turned his head, so the boys just sat there looking at one another.

Marvin knew he should turn away, that their eye contact shouldn’t last this long, but he didn’t. Instead his eyes were trained on Whizzer’s, until his gaze fell to Whizzer’s lips, then back to his eyes.  
The silence was painful, part of Marvin thought something was going to happen, part of him wanted something to happen.

“I…um…I should, should probably go,” Marvin said, effectively breaking the silence.

“Right,” Whizzer said after a moment. “Do you need a ride?”

Marvin wanted to say no, but it was cold outside, and Whizzer’s neighbourhood was nowhere near Marvin’s.

“Yeah, actually, if you don’t mind.”


	9. Mitosis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What did the brother cell say to his sister cell when she stepped on his toe?”
> 
> “What?”
> 
> “Mitosis.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short one, but the next chapter is pretty long-ish

“And then…?”

“And then he drove me home.”

Cordelia sighed in frustration and dropped her head dramatically onto the desk. As soon as Marvin stepped into physics class, the girls made him spill. He told them everything. Well, not everything. He left out the part with violent eye contact at the end.

“Come on Marvin,” Charlotte pried. “You can’t expect us to believe that nothing happened.”

Marvin shrugged. “Nothing happened.”

That was technically true. Nothing had happened, even though something almost happened. Last night, they just worked on a project. Today, nothing had changed. When Marvin returned to photography class that day, it was just like any other day. He and Whizzer handed in their project, and Marvin doodled on Whizzer’s hand as they pretended to watch the video on the projector.

For the next few weeks, that’s exactly what happened. Marvin would go to class, eat lunch with his friends, talk to Whizzer in photography, tutor Jason on Sundays, and just all around repeat the same boring routine. Nothing changed.

The cold hard truth was: high school was boring. It was the same repetitive stuff. Take notes, take a test, repeat. It made Marvin wonder if there was something better he could be doing with his life, like finding the cure to cancer. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t need to know what subordinating conjunctions were to do that.

“Do you have a type?”

Marvin was currently lying in his bed, flat on his back with his legs up against the wall so he was in an L shape. Mendel was lying beside him in the same position.

“Like…romantic type?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh. I guess I’ve never really thought about it before.”

Marvin turned his head for a moment to look at Mendel, before twisting it back to the ceiling.

“I’m sure that’s not true. Give it a go.”

Mendel sighed, pausing to think for a moment.

“I guess…someone kind. A girl that’s charming. I just want to know that she loves me, you know? Someone faithful, I don’t want to worry that she’s gonna cheat on me or something. Is that weird?”

“No,” Marvin said definitively.

“Good. And also, like, a pretty girl. All girls are pretty though.”

Marvin nodded, his eye’s trained on the ceiling, where some of the panelling was slightly sunken down. Water damage maybe? The paint around that spot was also weird and clotted.

“What about you?”

Marvin would pretend that he had no idea, that he never thought about it. But that wasn’t true, he had actually thought about it a lot recently.

“I don’t know. I guess most of all I just want someone I’m comfortable around.”

Mendel sent Marvin a look of understanding. It was a small thing, but important. The best way Marvin could describe the time in which he was dating Trina would be uncomfortable. He was so relieved when they broke up, it was like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

“Do you think there’s ever gonna be a time in our lives where we’re like, I don’t know…happy?”

Marvin audibly sighed. It was a valid question. At this point in his life, Marvin wasn’t happy, he felt like he was just existing.

“I don’t know, Mendel. I hope so.”

Mendel flopped his legs down and readjusted so he was half hanging off the bed.

“Hey, wanna hear a science joke?” Mendel asked.

“I feel like I don’t really have a choice.”

“What did the brother cell say to his sister cell when she stepped on his toe?”

“What?”

“Mitosis.”

Marvin tried to remain emotionless, but instead he just snorted and sputtered out in laughter.

“That was terrible.”

“Thanks.”

Marvin sat up, his legs hanging off the side of the bed.

“Hey, are you going on that overnight fieldtrip to D.C.?” Mendel asked.

“The what what now?”

Mendel sat up as well. 

“The psych and bio class are going on this overnight trip on Friday and Saturday to the Smithsonian.”

“This Friday?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, I guess I’m not going. Who is?”

“I know Trina and I are, and I’m pretty sure Charlotte and Cordelia are in bio, so…”

“So…I’m gonna have to eat lunch alone on Friday?”

Mendel shrugged, “I thought you knew.”

Marvin sighed. “It’s whatever, I’ll just do homework or something.”

“It’s gonna be lame anyway. Since I don’t have you there, I’m probably gonna be paired with some rando for the room assignment, it’s gonna suck.”

Mendel looked to his wrist where his Dora the Explorer watch (the same one from elementary school) was located.

“Shit, I should probably get going. My mom wanted me to be home for supper.”

“Right. Well seeya.”

“Bye.”

Mendel scooped up his backpack and headed downstairs, leaving Marvin alone, lying in his room. Marvin always hated those days where all his friends were gone, it just made him feel like some lonely loser, sitting in the canteen all alone.

Marvin checked the time, it was getting late. He had finished all his homework, and had nothing better to do with his life, so he decided to hop in the shower. Marvin couldn’t understand how people took 30-minute showers, Marvin took 5 minutes, tops.

When he emerged out of the bathroom, he had already tackled his wet, curly hair, and wanted nothing more than to cocoon into his blankets.

So that’s what he did.


	10. Watermelon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You look like a sad koala whose parents were murdered by rich dentists.”
> 
> “That’s oddly specific.”

Friday was the worst day of the week.

People always liked to dress it up as being great since it was the last day of the normal work week, but the truth was that the week was just a social construct and Friday was just as shitty as any other day. On Friday specifically, he was way more exhausted than any other day, and that was when projects and stuff were always due.

Marvin’s first three classes weren’t great, he was lonely and had no one to talk to, since all of his friends were on that stupid D.C. trip. That feeling of boredom and loneliness only multiplied at lunchtime, when he stood at the doorway of the canteen with a ten-dollar bill in hand, and a sudden urge not to buy lunch.

He slunk over to his usual table, which was as empty as everyone thinks the Arctic Circle is. He sat down on the cold, uncaring bench, not giving a thought to how dirty the table was when he dropped his head against it.

“Where are your friends?”

Marvin didn’t bother to lift his head. He knew that voice anywhere.

“What’s it to you?”

Whizzer shrugged.

“You look like a sad koala whose parents were murdered by rich dentists.”

“That’s oddly specific.”

“If you’re not waiting for anyone, mind if I join you?”

Marvin shrugged, a non-verbal invitation for Whizzer to sit down. Whizzer took the seat across from Marvin, crossing his arms and resting his head on them so they were on the same level. 

“D’ja bring a lunch?”

Marvin lifted his head from his arms so he could look at Whizzer.

“No.”

Whizzer dumped the contents of his brown paper bag onto the table. Out spilled a chocolate pudding cup, spoon, a pack of fruit snacks, and a clementine. Whizzer casually pushed the fruit snacks in front of Marvin without speaking. He also peeled the clementine and split it in half, giving one side to Marvin. Marvin figured there was no point in turning Whizzer down, so instead the two ate in silence. 

“What do you think would be the best way to kill someone?” Whizzer asked after a few silent minutes.

Now, if someone started a conversation like this, it would probably be wise for you to run in the other direction. But the truth was, this was how a lot of Marvin and Whizzer’s talks went. Forget asking what each other’s favourite colour was, what was the best way to kill someone?

“Well, I’d imagine you should kill someone that you don’t have any relations with, that way it’s unlikely they could trace it back to you.”

“Right.”

“And maybe frame it as a suicide, Heathers style, but if that’s impossible then ensure that you wipe off any trace off your fingerprints.”

“Yeah, but like make sure that you put all their fingerprints all over the place, so it isn’t suspiciously clean.”

“Of course, and when you bury the body, bury it under, like, a dead dog or something.”

“Yeah. If I were a serial killer, I think my signature would be that I’d leave all the faucets running.”

“So…like the wet bandits.”

“Exactly like the wet bandits.”

Whizzer popped off the top of the pudding cup as Marvin busted open the fruit snacks.

“So I have this thing in lit…”

“Yeah?” Whizzer replied, confirming that he was listening.

“We were supposed to pick an influential person in history that’s changed how we live today, and then we have to debate about who’s person is best next class.”

“And who did you pick?”

“I panicked and chose Alan Turing.”

“Who the hell is that?”

“See! I panicked, and now I’m not gonna win the debate because no one knows who this guy is.”

“No, no, no,” Whizzer said, leaning forward. “Enlighten me, convince me of his greatness. It’s practice.”

Marvin sighed. “Alright, well he was this mathematician during World War Two and he was monumental in breaking enigma and winning the war. It’s predicted that his work saved millions of lives and shortened the war by years. He also created the Turing test and started the basis of modern-day computers and AI.”

Whizzer smirked in satisfaction. “There you go, talk like that in class and you’ll easily win.”

“I can’t do that in front of people.”

“Why? You did it in front of me.”

“Yeah, but you’re…different.”

Whizzer raised an eyebrow, as if he had just proved a point. What that point was, Marvin didn’t know. It was too late to ask anyways, since the bell had rung, and Whizzer was up out of his seat.

“Seeya in photography, Marv.”

“Right. See you.”

When photography came around, Marvin paid little interest in the video. It was an instructional video on how to develop whatever kind of film, which they were apparently going to be doing next. Marvin was actually pretty excited about it, but he couldn’t be bothered to watch some video of a middle-age monotone white guy explaining how a dark room worked. Besides, based on Whizzer’s passionate rant when they first learned they’d be developing film, Marvin figured that he knew what he was doing.

This class was really panning out to be useless. As soon as Whizzer took his place beside Marvin, he rolled up his sleeve and rested his arm on the table in front of Marvin. The ink from the previous day had been scrubbed off, leaving Marvin with a fresh canvas. Marvin had no idea why Whizzer let him draw on his arm everyday, his doodles were mediocre at best. By the end of the class,   
Whizzer’s arm was covered in designs made with ink from Marvin’s favourite pen.

Once the bell rang, Marvin threw his backpack over his shoulder, thoroughly dreading the fact that he would have to take the bus home.

“Hey,” Whizzer said, catching Marvin just as he stood up, “you got plans?”

Marvin was taken by surprise. “Um…no?”

Whizzer crossed his arms, shifting his weight to one leg.

“I’m going for a drive, care to join?”

“Why would you want me to come?”

Whizzer smirked. “To have something pretty to look at.”

The way Marvin saw it, he had two options. Go into the unknown abyss of New York City with Whizzer, a guy he really didn’t know that well, or go home and take a nap. He should have had more questions, like where would they go? Are you going to kidnap me? Is this a smart choice for me to make? But Marvin didn’t do that, he didn’t ask any of the questions he probably should have. He should have wondered why Whizzer actually wanted to invite him along in the first place.

“Okay.”

Whelp, too late to turn back now. Whizzer smiled, in a way that showed that he already knew Marvin’s answer. Whizzer simply gestured with his head, signalling for Marvin to follow him. He led Marvin through the school and into the parking lot, over to his car. Marvin had already been in Whizzer’s car, when he drove him home that one night. It was an old car, one of those cars where the front and back seats were long, connected, sofa type seats. Marvin hopped into the passenger’s side, waiting awkwardly, fidgeting with his hands in his lap.

Whizzer got in the car and started it up, the radio immediately blasting with some 1980s music.

“Where are we going?” Marvin asked.

Whizzer shrugged, already backing out of the parking lot.

“I don’t know yet.”

As Whizzer drove out of the school grounds, they sat in silence. Marvin didn’t know what he was supposed to say, maybe he wasn’t supposed to say anything. There was something so incredibly peaceful about sitting in Whizzer’s car, looking out the window, music playing softly in the background. He didn’t feel the need to say anything, and everything was just so naturally pleasant.

They drove for hours, not speaking, but quietly basking in the subtle glory of the evening. They drove through busy streets, and nearly empty boulevards. The sun moved from its spot high in the sky until it was hanging just above the horizon.

Marvin drummed his fingers along to the beat of the song playing over the radio. He nodded his head as well, keeping his eyes trained on the passing landscape out the window. This was nice. He still didn’t know why Whizzer had asked him along, of all people. Surely, he had far more exciting friends, unless Whizzer really was planning on kidnapping him. If so, this was a rather inefficient way of doing it.

“You hungry?”

Marvin was slightly startled at the sound of Whizzer’s voice, he had gotten used to the quite pretty quickly.

“Um…yeah.”

Marvin was grateful for the food Whizzer gave him at lunch, but it wasn’t a lot. He was still starving, though he wouldn’t like to admit it. Whizzer turned off the main road they were driving on, turning into a parking lot.

Marvin raised a questioning eyebrow.

“A grocery store?”

Whizzer nodded, shifting the car into park and popping open the door.

“Trust me on this, Marv.”

Marvin sighed, but followed Whizzer in anyways. They walked through the automatic double doors side by side, gazing upon the produce section. It was already pretty late, so the aisles were barren.   
Whizzer stuck his arms out, presenting the produce section as if it were a whole new world.

“Fruit, Marvin,” he announced dramatically. “Probably the greatest thing on the face of the planet.”

Marvin just rolled his eyes.

“Hey,” Whizzer said, gesturing to the aisle with the pre-sliced fruit. “Go snake us some spoons.”

Marvin obeyed, snatching two plastic spoons out of a little bucket. When he returned, Whizzer was halfway in the tub of watermelons, knocking on each sphere like his life depended on it.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Whizzer poked his head up, a huge grin covering his face.

“It’s a trick to see if they’re ripe. You knock on it, and if it’s hollow, then it’s ripe.”

“No, I know that, I mean why the hell are you gonna buy an entire watermelon?”

“Why not?”

Marvin couldn’t argue with that logic, which was why he was currently sitting in Whizzer’s car with a watermelon in his lap as they drove to an overlook, just in time for the sun to set. This felt like a scene straight out of some cheesy teen movie, parked at an overlook, the sky painted various shades of orange. Just because it was cheesy, didn’t mean it was any less beautiful. 

The two boys sat on the trunk of the car, and Marvin was quickly glad that it had warmed up so much in the past few weeks. Marvin handed the watermelon over to Whizzer, who pulled a switchblade out of his pocket.

“Woah, what the fuck, Whizzer?”

“What?”

“Why are you carrying a knife on you?”

“In case I need to cut open a watermelon.”

Whizzer did just that, cleanly cutting the melon through the centre, and handing one half over to Marvin.

“Cheers,” they said in unison, tapping the two halves of the melon together.

Marvin sat next to Whizzer, his legs dangling off the edge of the trunk, looking at the horizon as they dug into the fruit. The only sound came from the crunch of the watermelon as their spoons carved into it. In a matter of fifteen silent minutes, the two boys had emptied out the fruit, leaving only a green shell remaining.

“What’d I tell ya?” Whizzer said almost proudly. “Greatest thing on the face of the planet.”

Marvin just nodded, still looking out into the sky before them. Whizzer drummed his hands against the exterior of his car, creating a light pattering sound. Whizzer hesitated for a moment before he started speaking, trying to think of something to say.

“…Do you think plants have feelings?”

Marvin didn’t move for a moment, his eyes continuously trained into the distance. Then, he just shrugged.

“Are you mad at me?” Whizzer sighed.

Marvin finally looked at Whizzer, narrowing his eyes.

“Why would I be mad at you?”

Whizzer crossed his arms. “I don’t know, but you’re not saying anything.”

“Of course I’m not talking to you! Because every time I do, my heart does a backflip and it feels like my stomach is gonna fall out my throat and my face heats up.”

“…So you’re not talking to me because you have a crush on me.”

Marvin rolled his eyes. “Obviously, come on, I thought you were smarter than that.”

Whizzer looked taken aback by how straightforward Marvin was being. Slightly surprised, and slightly confused. Then, he started to laugh. Marvin didn’t seem to see the same humour in the situation, it probably wasn’t the best idea for him to confess his crush when they were in the middle of nowhere, knowing he depended on Whizzer for a ride back. Marvin had fucked up, Marvin had fucked up big, but instead of panicking like he normally did, he was just annoyed. Annoyed at himself, annoyed at Whizzer for being so goddamn charming, and annoyed that Whizzer was laughing instead of saying something back.

Whizzer finally stopped his giggling, turning to Marvin with a slightly more serious face. Marvin was still sitting there, slightly miffed.

“Marv, hey.”

Marvin turned his head, his eyes meeting with Whizzer’s.

“Marvin, is it alright if I kiss you?”

Marvin waited a moment, taking in the meaning of the words Whizzer had just uttered.

He nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back.
> 
> Comments are greatly appreciated.
> 
> I hope you all have a fantastical day 
> 
> :)


	11. Paper Airplanes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Fuck yeah! Suck it Marv, you can’t beat flower power.”

When Marvin’s lips met Whizzer’s, it was like everything had perfectly clicked into place.

Marvin had only kissed one other person before, and that person was Trina. It wasn’t something he had enjoyed, but right away he could tell a difference between kissing her, and kissing Whizzer. 

Kissing Whizzer just felt…right. As they kissed, Marvin unconsciously lifted his hand, placing it against the back of Whizzer’s neck. Just as Marvin’s hand made contact, Whizzer jumped, quickly pulling away.

Blood rushed to Marvin’s cheeks, dragging him into a state of panic. He fucked up, what did he do wrong? A million thoughts ran through his head.

“Fuck,” Whizzer said, grinning at Marvin, “your hands are freezing.”

Marvin sighed in relief, releasing a breath he didn’t know he had been holding in. Marvin instead moved his hands to Whizzer’s hips, and Whizzer placed his hand on the back of Marvin’s head. As their lips met again, Marvin found himself inching forward, fulfilling the need to be closer to Whizzer. Whizzer parted his lips slightly, deepening the kiss, leaving Marvin to wonder if this was what heaven was like.

Him, sitting on the back of a car overlooking the city as the sun set, making out with Whizzer Brown.

The rest of the world seemed to melt away, Marvin’s mind was only focused on one thing. Even though he wasn’t completely sure what he was doing, he felt safe as long as he was with Whizzer.

He was violently yanked from his blissful trance by the ringing of his cell phone.

The two of them pulled away and Marvin tried to hide how disappointed he was. He felt like he was constantly interrupted by his phone, at this moment he wanted to throw it off a cliff. Whizzer raised an eyebrow, his eyes falling to Marvin’s hand as he pulled his phone from his pocket.

“It’s Charlotte,” he said, before answering the call.

Whizzer leaned back on his hands, watching Marvin as he spoke.

_“Marvin?”_

“Hey, Char.”

A car zoomed by on the road near the overlook, and Marvin had to briefly cover his other ear so he could hear Charlotte.

_“So, the four of us are out for supper, and then this guy-wait, what’s that noise? Where are you?”_

“Uh, you know, out, living life and stuff.”

Marvin was scrambling, and Charlotte knew it.

_“Since when have you ever had a life? Seriously, where are you?”_

“I’m not anywhere, I’m one with the Earth, I’m everywhere and I’m nowhere.”

_“Are you in a wind tunnel? What are you doing?”_

Whizzer snorted, speaking loud enough that Charlotte could definitely hear him on the phone.

“Pfft, more like _who_ is he doing.”

Marvin’s eyes grew wide.

_“Wait, what?! Ma-”_

And then his phone died.

Marvin brought his phone to his lap, staring at the black screen in disbelief and shaking it, as if that would do anything.

“Of fucking course.”

Whizzer stifled a laugh, easily finding the humour in this situation. Watching Whizzer on the verge of a giggle fit made it impossible for Marvin to despair. He quickly found himself joining in on the laughter. They looked like idiots, sitting there on the back of a car laughing like maniacs. The orange tones of the sky had faded away, now almost completely filled with darkness. The stars barely visible due to the light pollution, but something else evident in the sky.

Rain drops began to fall, hitting against the metal of the car, dropping into Whizzer’s perfect hair.

“We should probably get out of here,” Whizzer said, hopping off the back of the car.

He held out a hand to help Marvin down, and while it was very unnecessary, it was a nice gesture. Marvin took his hand and slid off the trunk, then the two split to get into either side of the car.

As Whizzer sped the car through the darkness of the night, Marvin leant his head up against the window, listening to the pitter patter of the rain. He wasn’t sure where to go from here, a few minutes ago, he was making out with Whizzer. Now, he was sitting silently in his car, thinking.

He knew Whizzer wasn’t the relationship type, and he didn’t want to embarrass himself by expecting Whizzer to be his boyfriend or anything. Boyfriend. Because that was a thing in Marvin’s life now.

So, what happened next? Marvin turned his head, watching Whizzer drive. He admired how he tapped his fingers against the steering wheel to the tune of some song running through his head. He admired the way a lock of hair fell from the rest, no matter how many times Whizzer pushed it back into place.

Not to mention, Marvin hadn’t even begun to think about how Charlotte was going to react to this. There was no doubt she had told everyone else about the phone call, and without an explanation, they were likely coming to their own conclusions. Marvin just stuffed his cell into his backpack, trying his best not to think about it.

Based on the streets they were on, it seemed like Whizzer was taking him home. Marvin fidgeted with his hands, he had no idea how this was going to work. Why were relationships so complicated? Scratch that-why was life so complicated? How come Marvin didn’t know what to do most of the time?

Whizzer pulled into Marvin’s driveway, shifting into park. What did Marvin do know? He couldn’t just leave, right? But he didn’t want to seem clingy.

“Whelp,” said Whizzer, “it’s the end of the line.”

Okay, right, end of the line. It’s now or never.

“Um…do you wanna…do you wanna, maybe, come inside?”

For a moment, Whizzer’s face remained motionless, and Marvin was sure that he had fucked up. But then Whizzer’s neutral expression stretched into a smile.

“Sure, why not?”

Marvin hoped his feeling of shock wasn’t evident on his face as he nodded and gestured for Whizzer to follow him inside. Marvin lifted his bag out of the backseat and got out, approaching the door of his house. He did his best to hide the fact that he fumbled with his house key, swinging open the door and flipping on the light.

Whizzer looked around Marvin’s house, never seeing it from the inside before. The place was big, high ceilings and lots of space. Whizzer slipped off his shoes, kicking them onto a mat near the door. Marvin set his backpack onto the kitchen counter, still not sure where this was going.

Well, that wasn’t really true. Marvin knew exactly what he was getting into by asking Whizzer in. He didn’t know why, but he was all for making bold moves tonight. It's like, only about an hour ago, Marvin was making out with Whizzer on the back of his car. Now, Marvin was inviting him into his house. 

The house was dark. Sure, the living room was lit up, but the night was evident through the large windows, making the house feel bigger and emptier than usual. The house was kept surprisingly clean considering a teenage boy was living in it mostly alone. Marvin put his phone to charge, knowing it would be filled with dozens of unread texts from Charlotte and the others.

Whizzer shrugged off his jacket and set it on a bar stool. Marvin would be lying if he said he wasn’t feeling tense.

“Nice place,” Whizzer said, walking around the open space.

He went over to a wall of shelves, running his hands over the rows of books. He stopped over a thick, colourful, worn paperback. He pulled it out and flipped through the pages, smiling to himself.   
Whizzer looked over at Marvin, who was preoccupied with making his frayed charger work.

“You read these?” Whizzer asked.

He was holding up and old National Geographic Kids Almanac that was several years old. It was falling apart at the seams, it was clear that it was well loved and well read.

Marvin grinned when he saw the book. He walked over and took it from Whizzer’s hands, reminiscing.

“I loved these things, I read them like a bible.”

“You sound like you were a real nerd as a kid.”

“Oh yeah, I definitely was. I memorized the first twenty digits of pi for fun.”

Whizzer snorted. “Loser.”

Marvin just smiled, placing the book back in its place on the shelf. Whizzer made his way further down the shelf, reaching another large book. He pulled it off the shelf, resting the weight in his arms.

“The Complete Book of Paper Airplanes?” he read, in a baffled confusion.

Marvin practically gasped, rushing over to look at it.

“I haven’t touched that thing in years.” He took it from Whizzer’s arms, flipping it open. “It has thousands of sheets of paper with templates for different airplanes that you print out and fold.”

Whizzer raised his eyebrow, noticing how excited Marvin had grown.

“Well…can we make some?”

“You want to?”

“Fuck yeah, Marvin, I’m not a crazy person.”

That’s how the two boys found themselves standing at the top of the staircase twenty minutes later, with a laundry basket filled to the brim with paper airplanes.

“Alright,” Whizzer said, sporting the most serious face Marvin had ever seen. “Welcome, tributes, to the first annual Airplane Games. Where you will be brought to your limit, flown further than has ever been flown before. Don’t fuck this up, because you only have one opportunity to be crowned victor.”

Marvin was impressed at how brilliantly Whizzer was addressing the paper airplanes. With a nod of confirmation from Whizzer, they began to throw the airplanes across the room towards the front door, attempting to see which flew the furthest. They had already placed bets on which they thought would win, Marvin vouched for a blue shark-themed flyer, Whizzer a pink flowery one. They laughed as they hucked their planes across the room, shouting and cheering for their favourites.

“Alright, moment of truth,” Whizzer said, holding his pink plane up.

Whizzer had insisted that they save their favourites for last. He not so subtly leaned over the railing to try and maximize the distance covered, then threw the airplane.

It unceremoniously did a nosedive straight for the couch. Whizzer frowned, and Marvin fist pumped in victory. He picked up his own plane, knowing that it was almost impossible to lose. He over-confidently smirked at Whizzer and sent his own plane across the room. 

Except it didn’t go across the room at all, it instead managed to drop only inches behind Whizzer’s plane.

Whizzer jumped in victory, like a child who had won a lollipop.

“Fuck yeah! Suck it Marv, you can’t beat flower power.”

It was comical how ecstatic Whizzer was about this. He was smiling wide, flashing his perfect teeth. He turned to Marvin, who was standing there with a shy smile, watching Whizzer with yearning. Whizzer’s grin fell to a light smile when their eyes met, and for a moment, they just looked at each other.

Then, Whizzer reached forward and placed his hands onto Marvin’s hips, pulling them together into a passionate kiss. As the two of them stumbled into Marvin’s room, clothes being shed onto the floor, neither of them thought about what it entailed. Nor did they think about what truths they might have to face in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you for all the amazing comments on the last chapter
> 
> Second, I'm SORRY I LEFT IT ON A CLIFFHANGER
> 
> Third, I'm sorry that I kind of did it again


	12. Waffles Without a Waffle Iron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marvin shrugged. “I stress bake.”
> 
> Whizzer raised an eyebrow. “You’re stressed?”
> 
> “Always.”

“Wait,” Marvin said, pulling away from Whizzer.

“What? What’s wrong?” Whizzer asked cautiously.

“Nothing, it’s just…can we not…”

Marvin was mature. He was, he was just ungodly awkward. He was perfectly happy making out with Whizzer in his bed, but once Whizzer’s hands drifted down to the waistband of Marvin’s pants, it all became a little too real. He sat up, not wanting to disappoint Whizzer by not putting out.

“Oh,” Whizzer replied. “Yeah, I mean, we can just do this.”

Marvin let out a shaky breath with relief. Whizzer leaned back in to kiss Marvin, which he gladly melted into. Whizzer’s hand instead just rested on Marvin’s hips, and Marvin put his hand on the back of Whizzer’s neck. Marvin hung his head back as Whizzer’s kisses ran down his neck and onto his collarbone.

To think that at the start of the day, Marvin had been moping that his friends had ditched him. Now, he was hooking up with Whizzer Brown in his bedroom. He didn’t even want to begin to think about everything Charlotte and Cordelia would have to say about this whole situation.

Marvin buried his hands in Whizzer’s hair, which was actually super soft. Geeze, what kind of shampoo did this guy use? Whizzer smelled like cinnamon and nutmeg soap, his lips tasted like strawberry lip balm. Marvin didn’t want to be doing anything else.

_________________________

“Do you want to stay?”

Whizzer looked over to Marvin, who was burrowed under the covers of his bed. Whizzer was sitting on the edge of the bed, reaching for his shirt. He turned to Marvin, both surprised and conflicted.

“I mean,” Marvin continued, “it’s pretty late and my parents aren’t around.”

Any other time, he would turn his hookup down and sneak out through the back door. But, for some reason, he was considering staying. Whizzer slept with lots of guys, this wasn’t unfamiliar to him. Except this time, the night hadn’t ended in sex, and he found himself debating whether he should spend the night with this boy.

Whizzer crept forward, lifting the covers and getting back into bed. He rested his head against the pillow, nestling into Marvin’s arms.

Whizzer had a rule. He never stayed over after a hookup. In fact, he usually tried to never see the guy again. What was he doing here? Why was he so compelled to be right there, so comfortable in another person’s bed?

The whole night had been unorthodox. For fuck’s sake, they had a paper airplane tournament in the living room. Yet Whizzer loved every part of this night, what the hell was up? He pondered to himself, was there a part of him that wanted this?

Whizzer didn’t do relationships, never had. He found it better not to get attached, easier in the long run. Not to hurt, not to yearn. He was perfectly happy living life that way, he loved his rambunctious lifestyle. Right?

There was something about Marvin. Nervous, but confident. Whizzer remembered when he first saw Marvin, lying on his back on a patch of ice, cursing at the top of his lungs. It was a comical sight, Whizzer couldn’t not impose. When he approached the boy, he couldn’t help but smile at his babbling, sheepish state.

When Whizzer awoke, it was still dark outside. He must not have been asleep for more than a few hours. He rolled over to lay his head on Marvin’s bare chest. Except Marvin’s chest wasn’t next to him, nor was the rest of his body. Whizzer sat up in confusion, looking around the dark room, where Marvin was nowhere to be seen. He reached over to pull his phone from his pants pocket, which were lying on the ground. It was around two in the morning, so why the hell wasn’t Marvin there?

Whizzer stood, creeping through the door and into the hallway, not bothering to put on any more clothes over his underwear. He saw light peeking out through the stairway. Whizzer blinked, his eyes adjusting to the light as he slowly tiptoed down the stairs. 

He wasn’t completely sure what he expected to see, but he knew he definitely didn’t expect to see Marvin sitting on the kitchen counter in his pyjamas eating a bowl of raw cake batter with a spatula.

Marvin didn’t even notice Whizzer walking over until he was just a few feet away. His jumped slightly, and his face flushed with red.

“Oh…hey, Whizzer.”

“Whatcha doing there?”

The situation was humorous. Marvin looked so vulnerable, he was frozen in space, holding the spatula halfway in between his mouth and the bowl. The chocolate batter dripped down, not to mention the chocolate that somehow managed to get smeared on the tip of his nose.

“Um…midnight snack?”

Whizzer approached Marvin and stuck a finger in the bowl, scooping up a dollop and bringing it to his lips.

“I think a sandwich would have worked.”

Marvin shrugged. “I stress bake.”

Whizzer raised an eyebrow. “You’re stressed?”

“Always.”

Whizzer smirked. “Wanna go back to sleep?”

Marvin looked at Whizzer, then down to the bowl of cake batter, then back to Whizzer.

“Yeah, okay.”

______________________________________________

Marvin wasn’t sure what to do. He didn’t know what to do when Whizzer Brown was sitting in his kitchen attempting to make waffles without a waffle iron.

Marvin was still in his pyjamas, but Whizzer was just wearing an old pair of sweats that belonged to Marvin. He was making Marvin nervous, cooking without a shirt. He was likely going to burn himself, and outcome not unlikely considering last time Marvin saw him cook, he almost cut his thumb off. It was late morning, almost noon.

“What are you doing?” Marvin asked, sipping on a cup of coffee.

“Creating the next innovation in breakfast foods,” he replied. “Picture this: a waffle without an iron, instead made in a pan.”

“So…a pancake.”

Whizzer glared, turning back to the stove. Marvin smiled and shook his head, picking up and unlocking his phone.

**Charlotte: 6 missed calls, 25 unread messages  
Cordelia: 2 missed calls, 34 unread messages  
Mendel: 15 unread messages  
Trina: 1 missed call, 2 unread messages**

Marvin probably should have handled his phone, which had quickly blown up. Instead, he elected to turn it off and set it out of sight.

“Do you have any chocolate chips?” Whizzer asked, digging through the cupboards.

“Um…yeah, I think they’re above the fridge.”

Whizzer nodded, employing his long-ass limbs in order to reach. Marvin was distracted by the sound of a knock at the door. Mailman maybe? Sometimes they would knock if they didn’t want to leave a package outside, but Marvin hadn’t ordered any parcels. His parents did, maybe?

He approached the door, coffee still in hand. Behind it, was a shivering Mendel with his arms full of textbooks.

“Geeze Marvin, about time, I’m freezing my ass off over here.”

Marvin’s eyes flew wide, but Mendel didn’t seem to notice. Instead he walked through the door without invitation, still talking his mouth off.

“Why weren’t you answering our calls? The girls talked my ear off the entire bus ride back. Anyways, I brought the materials for the chapter study, I was thinking-”

Shit, Marvin had forgotten he had made plans to do lit homework with Mendel. He mildly panicked as Mendel entered the house, freezing in place when he spotted Whizzer.

That’s right, Whizzer, who was standing shirtless in Marvin’s kitchen, shoving chocolate chips into his mouth. He and Mendel made eye contact, and Marvin suddenly realized that the two had never met, but Mendel probably had a clue of what went on.

Marvin awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

“Oh,” Whizzer said, dropping the chocolate onto the counter, “you guys studying or sum’in?”

Mendel simply nodded, all while trading knowing looks with Marvin.

Whizzer shrugged. “I’ll get going, I have to babysit later anyways. I’ll just get my stuff.”

Whizzer set down whatever stuff he was using to cook with, them walked upstairs. Mendel spun to look at Marvin, his eyes wide and a small smirk on his face. Marvin just glared, neither of them speaking with the knowledge that Whizzer might still be in earshot.

A minute later, Whizzer came down the stairs wearing the same clothes from yesterday and spinning his car keys in his hands. He approached the door, slipping on his shoes, and opened it partially. He paused halfway through the door, looking back to the other two boys.

“Well, I’m off. Bye Marv, bye…”

“Mendel.”

“Right. Bye, Mendel.”

And with that, Whizzer was out the door, and Mendel walked over to the dining room table and dumped his stuff on it with considerably more force than usual. Marvin walked over and sat across from him.

“Damn, Marvin,” he said, shaking his head. “So, you’re gay?”

Marvin nodded, avoiding eye contact.

“Geeze, you know, when Charlotte told us you were probably making out with some guy, I was like, yeah okay sure. I wasn’t expecting to walk into your house right after your little sex-apade. Way to take things slow, dude.”

“It wasn’t a sex-apade because we didn’t have sex,” Marvin protested, “just some light making out.”

Mendel raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, some heavy making out,” Marvin relented.

Mendel chuckled. “I can’t believe you hooked up with Whizzer. My god, the entire bus ride back from the trip, Cordelia and Charlotte just went off about their theories.”

Marvin couldn’t help but laugh along.

“So…” Mendel began again, more hesitantly this time. “I guess this is kind of undercut by your little sexual realization, but I kinda have a thing I’ve been thinking about lately.”

Marvin raised his eyebrows, inviting Mendel to continue.

Mendel sighed. “I think I want to ask Trina out.”

Oh. Marvin definitely wasn’t expecting that.

“And I know-” Mendel continued, preventing Marvin from speaking, “-that it’s weird since you two dated and especially now since you’re into guys and I don’t know because I’ve just been thinking about it and I really like her but I just don’t want things to be awkward and-”

“Mendel,” Marvin interjected, effectively shutting him up, “I think it’s a great idea.”

Mendel’s nervous expression shifted to one of stun. 

“Really?”

Marvin nodded, “who am I to stand in the way? Besides, I think you guys would be cute together.”

Mendel grinned from ear to ear. 

Marvin knew Mendel, and he knew Trina. He hadn’t been a stranger to the fact that the two had become closer over the years, not to mention noticed the pining looks they gave one another when they thought no one was looking. It might be a little weird, considering Marvin’s past relationship with Trina, but he would just have to deal with it.

Marvin was glad that Mendel hadn’t made a big deal out of the whole Whizzer thing, but at the same time it made him wonder if Mendel previously had his suspicions. 

“Anyways,” Mendel said, shifting around his books. “ _To Kill a Mockingbird._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed we've now got a set amount of chapters
> 
> I'm almost done writing this and I apologize in advance
> 
> Thanks for your comments!
> 
> :)


	13. Jason, Popcorn, and Wheat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “For fuck’s sake, all I want is some wheat to feed my family, is that such a crime? This lumber is all I have, please, just take the lumber.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's kinda long
> 
> Also, i hope you know what Catan is, or this is gonna be really confusing

“What is it?” Marvin said frustratedly.

“What?” Jason asked back innocently.

“Why do you keep looking at me like that?”

Jason hesitated. “What’s that on your neck?”

Marvin raised an eyebrow in confusion. He reached over and grabbed his phone to open the camera, aiming it down to look at his throat. Shit.

How did Marvin not notice the series of bruises that were trailed up his neck? He felt his cheeks heat up at the thought of him walking around in public covered in hickies. Why didn’t Whizzer point it out? Who was he kidding, of course Whizzer didn’t point it out.

“Uh…” Marvin stammered, “they’re-”

“Don’t try telling me you got throat punched, I’m thirteen years old for god’s sake,” Jason interrupted, crossing his arms.

Marvin scowled and pulled up his hoodie to try to cover up the marks. This kid knew too much, he knew what the marks were, he was just asking to embarrass Marvin. 

“They’re from the guy from the party,” Marvin sighed.

Jason’s knowing look slowly shifted into a huge goofy grin, it only annoyed Marvin more.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, chill. You don’t need to act like a prick about it,” Marvin said, completely disregarding appropriate language.

Jason tossed his pencil onto the table, pushing his homework to the side to instead berate Marvin with questions.

“Who’s the guy?”

Marvin figured there was no point in hiding anything from Jason, what could the kid possibly do with this information anyways?

“His name is Whizzer.”

Marvin noticed Jason’s smile falter for a moment, before returning to its original state.

“Huh, weird name.”

“Yeah.”

“Is he…your boyfriend?”

Marvin paused. Was he really going to complain the complexities of monogamous relationships to this kid? Especially when he didn’t even know what was happening between them himself?

“I don’t know.”

“Those hickies say otherwise.”

“Jason,” Marvin scolded, fully aware that there were people all over the library.

“Is this one of those ‘I don’t know if he really likes me or if it was a one-time thing’ things, or is it a ‘we make out and stuff, but I don’t think he’s into monogamy’ thing?”

“Okay, first, you should not know about these things, and second, it’s the last one.”

“Well,” Jason started, turning back to his homework. “I, of course, know nothing about the modern open relationship, but maybe he could surprise you.”

Marvin leaned back.

“You’re too smart for your own good, kid.”

Jason shrugged, “I know.”

______________________________

“Do you have any Pop Tarts?”

“I don’t think so.”

Whizzer frowned but continued to search through Marvin’s cupboards. Marvin sat at the breakfast bar, nervously wringing out his hands. Whizzer didn’t seem to notice anything unusual.

“Do you ever just, miss Pluto?”

Marvin looked up from where he was concentrating on the granite counter top so he could answer Whizzer’s question.

“Well, I mean, it’s still there.”

“Yeah, but,” Whizzer hopped up to sit on the counter top with Goldfish in his hand, “we just kind of exiled it and cast it away.”

“To be fair, it’s way too small to be a planet and its orbit is weird.”

“So why would we call it a planet in the first place? What’s the point of getting its hopes up only to come crashing down and totally exile it from society?”

“You do know that planets aren’t people.”

“That’s what they said about women,” Whizzer protested. “That’s what they said about people of colour, about queers, about Jews. Are you a Nazi, Marv?”

Marvin sent an empty glare at Whizzer. “I know you’re joking, but no.”

It was Sunday evening, but school was canceled on Monday for a P.D. day. Whizzer had texted Marvin stating he was coming over, without invitation, not that he was complaining. The two still hadn’t talked about what their relationship was, but Marvin wasn’t exactly eager to. Marvin pulled his phone out as he heard it vibrate. It was Cordelia.

**Come over**

_Why?_

**Were having a movie nite and sleepover**

_Whos we_

**U me mendel char trin**

_why a sleepover were not ten yrs old_

**come on marv don’t be a dork you havent spilt the tea about Friday yet**

Marvin looked up from his phone to see Whizzer hovering nearby.

“Cordelia’s having a sleepover.”

“Oh,” Whizzer said. “I can leave if you wanna go.”

“Actually…do you wanna come?”

Whizzer thought for a moment. “Who’s gonna be there?”

“Cordelia, Charlotte, Mendel, and our friend Trina.”

“Would it be weird if I imposed?”

Marvin shrugged. “Not really, you already know Cordelia and Charlotte, you met Mendel yesterday.”

Whizzer scoffed, “for two seconds.”

“It’ll be fine, Cordelia and Charlotte aren’t even that close with Mendel and Trina, I’m sure they’d love to have you.”

Whizzer shrugged and crossed his arms. “Ask, I’ll go if they want me to.”

_Can I bring someone? I already have someone over and I don’t just wanna ditch them_

**Ugh who**

**You have zero friends other than us**

_Whizzer_

**Reog;husj;gaeghiroebg**

**Yes**

**Yes**

**A million times yes**

_Ok but if you act like this when were there I will leave_

**Gasp this is so exciting embrace the gay marv**

“Whelp,” Marvin said, “I guess we’re having a sleepover.”

______________________________

“Okay, so here’s the breakdown.”

The two of them were currently sitting in Whizzer’s car, on the way to Cordelia’s house. They had stopped by Whizzer’s house to grab an overnight bag and tell his Bubbe where they were going.   
She seemed more than happy when she saw he was with Marvin. Whizzer’s Bubbe really was the best.

Marvin would be lying if he said he wasn’t at least a little nervous. Assumptions had definitely been made by his friend group, and as cool as Mendel had been, he knew that would be the same for everyone else. Trina would probably be weird about it since they had previously dated, and Cordelia and Charlotte would be overenthusiastic.

“I’m listening,” Whizzer stated.

“So, Mendel, he’s nice and legit and stuff but he is not great when it comes to questions. Trina, she’s really sweet, we used to date in grade nine.”

Whizzer smirked. “Damn, closet case.”

Marvin narrowed his eyes but continued. “Cordelia, you know her, very positive, and very nosy. Charlotte, you sort of know her, we’ve been good friends since the start of high school.”

Whizzer nodded. “This should be fun.”

“Right, so fun.”

Whizzer pulled the car up to the curb behind Mendel’s minivan, and the two boys got out. They approached the door bearing overnight bags on their shoulders. Marvin could hear the voices of his friends behind the door, laughing and shouting. As soon as Whizzer knocked, he could hear the voice of Cordelia quickly shush everyone and whisper at them to shut up because “they’re here.”   
Whizzer looked to Marvin, smirking. Marvin had no doubt that Cordelia had told everyone who he was bringing, and the four friends were likely prepared to figure out what was going on.

The door swung open with Cordelia standing behind it, her smile only growing as she looked back and forth between Marvin and Whizzer.

“Come in, come in!” she squealed.

They entered, Whizzer behind Marvin, allowing for Marvin to see the faces of Charlotte, Mendel, and Trina as they spotted Whizzer. Marvin’s hands were stuffed into his pockets as he approached the living room.

“Damn, Delia,” he said as he observed the room, “it looks like the Michelin Man had an orgy in here.”

The box formed by the couches surrounding the TV had been filled with pillows, comforters, and mattress toppers. Trina and Mendel were sitting together sharing a blanket, handling the remote for the Netflix. They scrolled through movies, arguing about what to watch. Mendel made eye contact with Marvin, and the two had a silent conversation where Marvin concluded that Mendel must have not asked Trina out yet. It seemed ridiculous to Marvin, as he watched as the couple looked at each other with smiling faces when the other couldn’t see. Charlotte was nestled on the couch with a bowl of popcorn in her lap, grinning at Marvin as he walked in.

“Thanks,” Cordelia replied, “Marvin, Whizzer, make yourselves comfortable.”

Marvin looked back to Whizzer, who had a small smile on his face. The two walked over to the plethora of blankets, stepping around the others in their sock feet. Marvin noted how everyone sneakily watched them as they moved, trying to figure out their dynamic. The two took seats on the couch perpendicular to the one Charlotte was on, Whizzer immediately tucked his feet up under him. He looked to Trina, who was looking back, and waved.

“Hey, I’m Whizzer.”

“Trina.”

The two politely smiled at each other, and Whizzer looked to Marvin, sending him a wink that no one else noticed.

“So,” Marvin began, “what are we watching?”

Trina crossed her arms. “I think we should watch The Road to El Dorado-“

“I think we should watch To All the Boys I’ve loved Before!” Mendel protested.

Trina narrowed her eyes and shot a harmless glare at Mendel. Damn, these guys took their movies seriously.

“I vote for Mendel!” Cordelia declared.

“Me too,” Charlotte seconded.

“Me three,” Marvin joined in.

Trina frowned, clearly annoyed that no one voted for her movie.

“For what it’s worth,” Whizzer interjected, “I would have voted for you, Trina.”

Trina smiled, sending finger guns Whizzer’s way.

“Thanks Whizzer, see guys, he’s the only one that gets me. I’m dumping you all for him, we’re friends now.”

Whizzer laughed, ignoring the eye roll coming from Mendel, who was poorly hiding the slight jealousy. Marvin had no idea why the guy was irritated, Whizzer’s personality screamed “gay” for miles. Cordelia pranced over, landing on the couch right next to Charlotte. Marvin noticed as Mendel subtly moved in closer to Trina.

“Where are we sleeping tonight?” asked Trina, begrudgingly selecting the movie on the TV.

“Here of course,” Cordelia replied.

“You have how many guest rooms in this house and you chose to have us all sleep on the living room floor?”

“It’s fun!” Cordelia insisted. “It’s what sleepovers are all about. Besides, there are so many mattress toppers on the floor its basically one big bed.”

“Hey,” Marvin spoke up, “pass me some snacks.”

Marvin wasn’t prepared as four different bags of chips were hurled at his head. Whizzer laughed as Marvin’s immediate reaction was to dive off the couch, but stopped laughing when the bags hit him instead. This caused a cascade of laughter to erupt from everyone else.

The six friends nestled into their spots as the movie began. Marvin’s arm unconsciously landed around Whizzer’s shoulders, which didn’t go unnoticed by everyone else.

____________________

“Damn, that Peter Kavinsky,” said Whizzer, intently watching the screen.

“I’ll drink to that,” Trina said, taking a swig from her pop can.

Marvin was comfortable, his arm around Whizzer and their hands laced together. He felt a tap on his shoulder, turning to see Charlotte beside him.

“Hey,” she whispered, “come help me make more popcorn.”

Marvin knew she didn’t need help, but followed her into the kitchen anyway.

Charlotte grabbed a bag of popcorn and tossed it in the microwave, putting it on for a few minutes. She then hopped up onto a barstool, resting her chin on her hand.

“So,” she said, waggling her eyebrows, “I guess we have a lot to talk about, huh?”

Marvin crossed his arms, taking the seat next to her. He knew this was bound to happen.

“What about?”

“Um, how bout we start with the fact that you brought a guy over here, and you’re being all gay and cuddly on the couch. What was with the phone call? Did you actually fuck Whizze-”

“Shh!” Marvin scolded, glancing to the living room, “my god, keep your voice down. No, I did not sleep with Whizzer. We just kissed.”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow, mirroring Mendel from the day before.

“Fine, we made out.”

Charlotte smirked. “Called it.”

Marvin narrowed his eyes. “It’s not even a big deal, it’s not even that serious.”

“Except that is a big deal, because you’re very gay, and you happen to be very gay with _Whizzer Brown_.”

“What about Whizzer?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t peg you for his type, or vice versa. I’ve known him for a bit through Delia, and he’s not exactly a symbol of monogamy. He usually jumps around from guy to guy, it’s not like him to stick around like this.”

Huh. Was she implying something? Or was Marvin blowing her small comment completely out of proportion?

“Guyyyys, come onnnn, you’re gonna miss the hot tub scene,” Mendel said as he barrelled into the kitchen.

Charlotte reached over and pulled the bag of popcorn out of the microwave.

“You know ‘bout this?” she asked, gesturing from Marvin to the living room.

Mendel shrugged. “Sorta, since yesterday.”

Charlotte sighed. “Come on, Marv, I expected you’d go to me when you finally embraced the gay!”

“It was unintentional! Mendel just walked in on us!”

“He what!?”

“No-not like that,” Marvin backtracked, “he just showed up at my house the next morning.”

“He stayed the night!?”

Marvin held up a hand, beginning to back away. “You know what? We’re gonna finish talking about this later, because we have to go watch the rest of this movie.”

“I can see the hickies!” Charlotte called out as Marvin walked away.

Marvin backed up out of the kitchen, returning to his spot next to Whizzer. Mendel and Charlotte followed shortly, but not after exchanging humoured looks.

Marvin settled back into the couch next to Whizzer, throwing his arm back up around him. Whizzer leaned in to Marvin’s embrace, resting his head against his chest. Marvin looked to Charlotte, who waggled her eyebrows at him.

Marvin looked to Mendel and Trina. Trina was fully engulfed in the movie, but Mendel kept glancing at her. They were sitting rather close to each other, possibly so they could share the blanket better, but there were lots of blankets.

Cordelia was nestled under Charlotte’s arm, occasionally whispering comments into her ear, which Charlotte would quietly giggle at. Marvin looked over at Whizzer, who was running his thumb back and forth up Marvin’s hand. This…this was nice.

When the movie finished, Cordelia commanded everyone to get into their pajamas. Once all changed, everyone clustered onto the cushioned floor of the living room in a circle.

“Alright,” Cordelia said, seriously, “prepare your asses for a game of…” she pulled a box out from behind her back “...Catan!”

Trina looked at Cordelia with doubt, “I haven’t played Catan since fourth grade.”

“But, have you ever played it as teenagers who are ready to tear each other’s feelings apart?”

“…not yet.”

__________________

“I’m telling you, I am going to kill myself if you don’t trade me some wheat.”

Charlotte crossed her arms.

“Well, Whizzer, you don’t have any power, I have the monopoly on wheat. You bitches are eating out of my palm.”

“For fuck’s sake, all I want is some wheat to feed my family, is that such a crime? This lumber is all I have, please, just take the lumber.”

Mendel reached forward and rolled the dice.

“Alright bitches,” he said, laying down five development cards at once. “Boom, ten victory points.”

“What the hell?!” Marvin shouted, hucking his hand of cards across the room. “How did you get those?!”

Mendel sat there with a smug look on his face as the rest of the group exploded into chaos.

“I lurk in the shadows, while you were too busy trying to capitalize and destroy society, I was really winning all along.”

Whizzer ran his hands through his hair, “is this what it feels like to die?”

Mendel and Trina cheered, their team having won, lunging forward into a hug. Whizzer softly elbowed Marvin, clearly having caught on. When the couple pulled away, Marvin noticed how Mendel’s eyes lingered in Trina’s.

“Can we watch El Dorado now?” Trina whined.

“I don’t know,” Charlotte said, checking her phone for the time, “it’s getting pretty late…”

Charlotte was clearly the responsible one in the group. It didn’t matter that there wasn’t school tomorrow, she was the mom of the century. She knew that if Marvin didn’t get at least nine hours of sleep, he would get cranky. It was already past midnight.

“Pleeeeease?” Trina whined, “last one to fall asleep can turn the TV off.”

“Let’s do it,” Cordelia declared.

One hour later, and two thirds through the movie, the group found themselves beginning to drift off to sleep.

Cordelia and Charlotte were on the couch, leaning up against one another. Cordelia was probably the widest awake out of all of them. Mendel was on the couch, slightly more elevated than Trina, who was on a stack of pillows and mattress toppers. Trina had already drifted into sleep, her head rested against Mendel’s side. Marvin could tell that Mendel was terrified of moving out of the fear of waking her.

Whizzer and Marvin were both on the floor, buried under blankets. Whizzer was sitting up, with Marvin asleep, his head resting in Whizzer’s lap. Whizzer was absently running his hands through Marvin’s curly hair, his yawns becoming more frequent.

Whizzer turned his head, his eyes meeting Cordelia’s. The two of them where the only ones awake enough to remember any of this the next day. Cordelia just smiled, looking across the room at her two friends in each other's arms.

Whizzer smiled back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love our boi Jason
> 
> Thanks for comments!
> 
> Yeet


	14. Crepes & EZ Whip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You really like him, huh?”
> 
> Whizzer twisted his head back to Trina, who was giving him a sentimental look.
> 
> “Yeah…I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Another chapter already?
> 
> Also, the "each to their own" conversation is based on me, I always say it wrong

Trina stirred in the kitchen the next morning.

She was a morning person, an early riser. When she woke, she found herself resting against Mendel’s chest, and part of her didn’t want to get up. Alas, her morning breath got to her and she knew she had to brush her teeth before she went insane.

She climbed out of the mountains of pillows, tiptoeing around her friends. She passed Charlotte and Cordelia, fast asleep in each others’ arms. She passed Marvin, who was nestled in Whizzer’s lap, Whizzer’s arms cradling his head. It was sweet.

Once she brushed her teeth, she walked into the kitchen, figuring she might as well make everyone breakfast. As she reached into the cupboard to pull out Nutella for crepes, she heard footsteps creeping around the corner.

Based on the several sleepovers she’d had before, she could guess who it was. Charlotte was usually the next one awake after her, after that it was Mendel, Marvin, and Cordelia.

“Hey Charlotte, I’m just-”

Trina looked up from the counter to see not Charlotte, but Whizzer dragging his feet through the door.

“Oh, Whizzer, hey.”

“Morning, Trina.”

Whizzer was in the same clothes he’d slept in, a t-shirt and sweats. He rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his ruffled morning hair, which still somehow looked perfect. He slunk towards to kitchen and towards the counter.

“Do you think it’s alright if I use the coffee maker?” he asked, knowing Trina was more familiar with sleepover etiquette than him.

“Oh, yeah,” she said, “just take whatever. Do you like crepes? I’m making some.”

Whizzer nodded and smiled, pressing whatever buttons on the coffee machine and popping in a coffee grounds capsule. Once the mug had filled up, he walked over to the breakfast bar where Trina was mixing the crepe batter and sat down near her. He figured it would be a while until someone else woke up, so he might as well strike up a conversation.

“So,” Whizzer began, taking a sip from his mug, “how long have you known these guys?”

Trina looked up from the bowl, surprised that Whizzer was talking to her. Surprised, but not unpleasantly.

“Um…I’ve known Mendel and Marvin since elementary school, the three of us have always been close. I met Cordelia and Charlotte through Marvin. What about you? How do you know them?”

“Well, I met Cordelia last semester because we had history together, she introduced me to Charlotte. Marvin, I actually ran into him when he was lying on the ground by the parking lot.”

“Wait, that was you?”

Whizzer raised an eyebrow, “he told you about that?”

Trina smiled, “yeah, it was funny, he was so embarrassed about it.”

Whizzer leaned forward, grinning. He remembered how flustered Marvin was that day, but found it sweet that he told his friends about their seemingly meaningless encounter.

“He really is something.”

Whizzer looked over to the living room, where Marvin’s curly head of hair was poking out from behind the couch. He was still sound asleep, beautiful as ever.

“You really like him, huh?”

Whizzer twisted his head back to Trina, who was giving him a sentimental look.

“Yeah…I do.”

Trina carried the bowl of batter over to the stove, where a frying pan was heating up. Whizzer watched her from a distance, thinking about what she said. He was sure it must have been weird for her, finding out her ex-boyfriend and best friend was gay. 

“What about you?” Whizzer asked.

The question cause Trina to briefly look back from what she was doing in confusion.

“What about me?”

Whizzer downed the rest of his mug of coffee before speaking.

“Look, Trina, I know a thing or two about lovers, I’ve had a few in my days. The second I walked into this house, I could feel the tension between you two.”

Trina narrowed her eyes, “look, you shouldn’t be worried about anything between Marvin and I, we’re totally-”

“Not Marvin,” Whizzer interjected, “Mendel.”

Trina could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. It was intimidating, Whizzer confidently staring her down from the breakfast counter.

“I’ve seen the way you look at each other,” he said, crossing his arms. “Trust me, you won’t regret making a move.”

“I-”

“Hey guys, whatcha talking about?”

Mendel shuffled into the kitchen, totally oblivious to the conversation he was interrupting. Trina looked to Whizzer, not sure how to finish her sentence.

“Whelp,” Whizzer said, standing up from the barstool. “I’m gonna go wake up Marv.”

He started walking towards the living room, but stopped and spun around to shoot Trina a thumbs up once he was out of Mendel’s line of sight. Trina gave him a nervous smile in response.

Whizzer walked over to the pile of mattress toppers where Marvin was fast asleep. He passed Charlotte and Cordelia, who were just waking up. He waved them hello before kneeling next to Marvin.   
He looked so adorable when he was asleep. He was in the same position he was in when Whizzer had slipped out from underneath him earlier, one arm tucked under his pillow and a blanket draped over his lower half.

Part of Whizzer didn’t want to wake him up quite yet, he just looked so peaceful. Whizzer sat down on the cushy surface, partially leaning against the couch. He ran his hands through Marvin’s curly hair, admiring the boy in front of him. Marvin’s eyelids began to twitch as he started to wake, blinking his eyes open and looking up at Whizzer. He smiled when he remembered where he was and who he was with.

Little did they know, a certain group of friends were gathered around the kitchen island watching them from a distance.

“Well…this was unexpected,” Trina said, out of earshot of the boys.

Charlotte raised her eyebrows. “Was it really that unexpected?”

Cordelia reached forward and scooped a dollop of Nutella from the container with her finger. “I mean, they are super cute.”

The group watched as Whizzer reached forward and brushed a curl out from in front of Marvin’s eyes. Marvin smiled and sat up, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Whizzer said something they couldn’t hear, but it made Marvin laugh.

“Fuck,” Mendel said, taking the jar of Nutella from Cordelia, “they _are_ cute.”

“I bet you ten bucks that they’ll be fucking by next week,” Cordelia said, bluntly.

“I’ll take that bet,” Mendel replied, “Marvin isn’t the type to rush into things like that.”

“Pfft,” Cordelia scoffed, “those hickies don’t exactly scream ‘taking things slow.’ And the way they act around each other? Whizzer might as well be screaming ‘bottom.’”

Trina coughed as she choked on her spit, causing the rest of the group to turn their head.

“Look, guys,” she said, “as much fun as it is to hear you guys talk about Marvin’s theoretical sex life, maybe we should eat some breakfast?”

Charlotte and Cordelia laughed at Trina’s awkwardness, while Mendel just smiled and helped her serve the crepes. As if on cue, Marvin and Whizzer entered the kitchen.

“Morning,” Marvin said, taking a seat on one of the empty stools.

Whizzer was close behind, he swiped the Nutella out from Cordelia’s hands as he grabbed a butter knife. Marvin raised an eyebrow at everyone’s sudden silence, but quickly brushed it off and instead grabbed a crepe from the plate.

“What the fuck?” Whizzer said, watching as Marvin rolled up the crepe and ate it plain.

“What?”

“Aren’t you gonna, you know, put something on it?”

Marvin shrugged, taking another bite.

Mendel laughed, “he also bites Kit Kat bars without breaking off the little sections.”

Whizzer sighed, taking his own crepe and dumping some strawberries onto it.

“I’ve gotta ask,” Charlotte started, “I mean, Whizzer, you just woke up. Your hair looks like you spent hours styling it.”

Whizzer shrugged and shot her a cocky grin. “What can I say, I wake up this gorgeous.”

Marvin reached forward and brushed Whizzer’s hair back, laughing when it sprang right back into place.

As the group settled in around the counter, fixing up their breakfast, Marvin tried to sit back and stay out of it. He thought about how lucky he was to have these people as his friends. Even though he had specific chemistry with Mendel and Trina as compared to Charlotte and Cordelia, the five of them somehow seemed to work together. Throwing Whizzer into the mix, they worked just as well. Actually, the group seemed to work better with Whizzer.

He was somehow able to so perfectly fit in and have everyone like him. He talked to people as if they were old friends, there was rarely an awkward moment whenever he was around.

“No way, Phineas and Ferb was the superior show by far.”

“Whelp, each to their own.”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow, “Whizzer, I’m pretty sure the saying is ‘to each their own’ not ‘each to their own.’”

Whizzer shrugged, “I know, but I always say it wrong.”

“Open wide, bitch.”

Meanwhile, across the table, Cordelia was dumping EZ Whip into Mendel’s mouth. Mendel’s smiled, licking the excess of his lips.

“Hey, over here,” Whizzer waved, gesturing for Cordelia to give him some whipped cream.

She smiled devilishly, leaning over and filling Whizzer’s mouth with whipped cream and ignoring his gesture to stop once it was full. This resulted in Whizzer sputtering, and the sugary substance flying all across the kitchen. The entire table cackled, asides from Marvin, as the majority of the whipped cream landed on his face. 

Whizzer just leaned forward and licked a dollop off of Marvin’s cheek.

“Gaah!”

Marvin recoiled, almost falling off his stool, which only caused the group to laugh even more.

“Ugh, fuck me,” Marvin said with a grimace as he attempted to wipe the whipped cream and saliva off his cheek.

“Hey, if you’re asking.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, I'm gone for like a week, so I'm gonna post one more soon after this before I dip
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and comments
> 
> Also, wow, over 1000 views, that's a lot


	15. Thunderstorms & Raincoats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People always seemed to do that whenever it rained. They’d always state it was raining, and everyone would agree, and after a few seconds looking at the rain, everyone’s life would resume.

“Hey, where were you at lunch? I couldn’t find you.”

Marvin took his usual seat next to Whizzer in photography class on a Thursday afternoon. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but he was sort of hoping that maybe Whizzer would start to hang around him more ever since the sleepover. Marvin knew he shouldn’t have expected anything, because it had all been the same. Other than photography class and the occasional ride home from Whizzer, the two hadn’t interacted much.

When Marvin saw Whizzer in photography that day, the other boy was mindlessly scrolling through his phone, not bothering to look up when Marvin spoke, he just shrugged.

“Oh, yeah, I was out for lunch and spare.”

“Out?”

Whizzer nodded, still on his phone. “Yeah, some guy from my old school has been bothering me to meet up for a few weeks, so I went over to his place.”

“Oh.”

Marvin buried the jealousy stirring in him underneath a mountain of self deprecation. He knew he had no right to be jealous, Whizzer wasn’t his boyfriend. Yet, Marvin couldn’t help but tense up as Whizzer spoke.

“Hey,” Whizzer began, “I can’t give you a ride home today, I’m supposed to be meeting with the guidance counsellor for some university crap or whatever.”

Whizzer had finally looked up from his phone, but Marvin just smiled and shook his head.

“Actually, my parents are picking me up.”

Whizzer raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Really?”

Marvin grinned from ear to ear, “yeah, they’re connecting at JFK and they decided they’d stay for the night before taking off again.”

Marvin was excited, this had been the longest time his parents had been gone on a business trip ever, so he was glad to get them back, if only for a day. He was more excited than he let himself believe, but it was clearly evident in they way his leg bounced, and his hands fidgeted.

“Well, I’d love to meet the infamous couple that created you,” Whizzer smiled, “they have a lot to explain.”

Marvin laughed lightly, quieting down as he silently questioned whether Whizzer actually meant it.

______________________________________

“You need a ride?”

“Nope!” Marvin exclaimed happily. “My parents are picking me up.”

“Right.”

Marvin raised an eyebrow.

“Why’d you say it like that?”

Mendel shrugged, “I don’t know, it’s just, don’t you think it’s kinda weird that they’re, like, never around?”

“Well…they’re just working.”

“Come on, Marvin, I’m your best friend. I’m allowed to be a little mad that they aren’t there for you like they should be.”

Marvin would never admit it to himself, but he was constantly making excuses for his parents. Mendel had a right to be annoyed, and Marvin knew that well enough that he didn’t bother to say anything back in defense. Instead, he just shrugged.

The two boys reached the curb along the round-a-bout at the front of the school. Marvin waved Mendel goodbye, electing to stand on a particularly tasteful section of concrete. He shoved one of his hands in the pocket of his hoodie, using the other to take out his phone.

_Im out front_

He stared at his phone for a few seconds in anticipation, waiting for a reply from his mom.

“Marv, do you need a ride or something?”

Marvin felt like a had a severe case of déjà vu.

“No, my parents are picking me up.”

Charlotte reacted similarly to Mendel, having known Marvin for long enough. She scrunched up her face slightly, gripping the straps of her backpack a little tighter.

“Oh! Say hi to them for me,” Cordelia interjected, not grasping the mood.

“I will,” Marvin smiled.

The girls were standing on either side of him, Charlotte fiddling with her car keys and Cordelia gripping a Tupperware. She always seemed to have some baked good on hand. Marvin felt a raindrop land on his cheek, then another onto his arm.

“It’s starting to rain,” Cordelia said, stating the obvious.

“Yeah,” Marvin replied.

People always seemed to do that whenever it rained. They’d always state it was raining, and everyone would agree, and after a few seconds looking at the rain, everyone’s life would resume.

But Marvin was glad it was raining, if it was raining, it meant it wasn’t snowing. The weather had warmed up a lot since the start of February, even though Marvin was still a human icebox. He had retired his coat and toque for a thin hoodie and a long sleeve shirt. His curly brown hair was tucked under his hood, protecting it from the rain.

“Have you talked to Mendel recently?” Cordelia asked out of the blue.

Marvin raised an eyebrow, “yeah, just now, why?”

She crossed her arms, “has he said anything about Trina?”

Marvin smirked. Oh, so that’s where she was going with this.

“No, he told me he was going to ask her out like a week ago, but I’m getting the vibe that he’s chickening out.”

Cordelia sighed dramatically.

“They guy is killing me, I’ve never seen pining this bad since my dad and I cut down that Christmas tree.”

Marvin glared in response to the pathetic excuse for a pun.

“We should do something,” Charlotte declared, “try to convince him to finally make a move.”

“You guys should definitely do that,” Marvin said, excluding himself from the narrative, “you guys have a very persuasive nature.”

“We do, don’t we?”

“Anywaaaays,” Cordelia interjected, “we should get going, there’s a tray of brownies sitting at home with my name on them.”

Marvin lifted his hand again to wave his friends goodbye, watching them retreat into the parking lot. He looked down at his spot on the pavement, trying to find something to occupy his brain with. His shifted his weight back and forth, from foot to foot. He pulled his phone out to check the message he sent, still unread. They were probably just driving.

___________________________

Guidance counsellors were idiots.

At least, that was what Whizzer thought. They sauntered around their weird little office with cat posters telling you what you should do with your life. Bullshit. Financial support could go fuck itself.

Whizzer could get into university by himself, thank you very much. Besides, applications didn’t come out until fall, he had plenty of time. He didn’t need some goody-two-shoes mustachioed middle-aged man in the center of a mid-life crisis trying to give him life advice.

Whizzer made his way through the hall, an hour and a half after school had ended. He heard the rain barrelling down onto the roof of the school, much harder than it was an hour ago. The weather had escalated into a full-blown thunderstorm, the rain beating against the windows, the occasional lightning strike in the distance. The storm had come as a surprise, unexpected by meteorologists. 

Lucky for Whizzer, he loved bad weather. He liked curling up indoors, safe within the walls, as a storm plagued the outside world. As he reached the front door of the school, he rummaged through the messenger bag that rested on his left shoulder, debating weather or not to take out his umbrella. He quickly decided against it, the wind was too strong. He instead elected to take out the light rain jacket he always stored in the bottom corner of his bag. Whizzer was that kind of person, the one who always kept everything a person could ever need within reach. Except for a first-aid kit apparently.

He swung open the front door, bracing himself for the storm ahead. The wind wasn’t as bad as he had anticipated, but the rain was much worse. He was glad he had his jacket on him, or he would have been soaked straight from the get-go. Whizzer tugged up his hood, careful to protect his hair. He was suddenly relieved that his car was parked so close to the front.

The parking lot was mostly empty at this point in the day. Only a few cars other than his were there, likely some teachers and the custodian. The sight was almost apocalyptic, the barren outdoors being beaten by rain. Except, it wasn’t quite barren.

A dark red person-sized lump was resting at the curb in front of the round-about. Whizzer would recognize that lump anywhere.

He found himself rushing forward, crouching down by the side of the curb.

“Marv?”

There was Marvin, hunched over on the ground with his knees to his chest. He was shivering, soaked straight to the bone. His curly hair sticking to his forehead as he looked ahead to the street. He turned his head when he heard Whizzer’s voice.

Suddenly, Whizzer didn’t care about protecting his hair from the rain anymore. Without thinking, he shrugged off his raincoat and draped it over Marvin’s shoulders. Not that it would do much for him at this point.

“What are you doing out here? You’re gonna catch your death!”

God, Whizzer sounded like his Bubbe.

Marvin spoke through his shivers, “M-My par-rents didn’t s-show.”

Shit. Right, Marvin had said his parents were going to pick him up. Whizzer didn’t know a lot about Marvin’s parental situation, but he knew it wasn’t ideal. He wasn’t sure what exactly to say in this   
situation, Whizzer had never been good at consolation.

Instead, he did the only thing he knew how to do. He wrapped his arm around Marvin’s waist and pulled him to his feet. Marvin had no objections, but he didn’t say anything at all as the two made their way over to Whizzer’s car. Whizzer’s side was drenched, he was sure there was a water stain on his clothes where Marvin was leaning. They split off as they reached the car, Whizzer’s mind was too preoccupied to worry about getting the seats wet.

He immediately turned the car on and blasted the heat, hoping to stop Marvin’s violent shivering.

“What the hell, Marv? Why were you just sitting out there in the rain?”

Marvin’s head was down, he clenched his fists as he continued to shake.

“Their flight got cancelled. They’re just gonna wait for a direct flight instead of connecting.”

“Why didn’t you call someone to pick you up? Mendel? Charlotte?”

Marvin shrugged, “I didn’t want to bother them.”

That was only half true. For the most part, Marvin was just embarrassed. He had told everyone that his parents were gonna be there, he was excited about it, and then they just didn’t show up. It was mortifying, all he wanted was to go home and curl up in his bed and cry. He didn’t want to cry in front of Whizzer, he was too old to cry over stupid things like this anyways.

Whizzer sighed quietly, tapping his finger against the steering wheel as he made a split-second decision.

“Okay,” he said, putting the car into gear. “We’re going to my place for supper.”

Marvin finally looked up.

“What? No, it’s okay, you can just drop me off at home.”

“No, I insist. Come on, I make a mean mac ‘n cheese.”

Marvin pondered his options. Go home, cry, and eat the perogies he was supposed to eat with his parents alone in bed. Or, go to Whizzer’s house, and maybe enjoy himself.

Marvin nodded, deciding that maybe he’d rather not be alone for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you in a week!
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and comments
> 
> Heads up: things are about to go down


	16. Macaroni and Warm Blankets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Geeze Marv, jumpy much?”
> 
> “Sorry.”
> 
> “Don’t be sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK!
> 
> First of all, I have to say thanks to all y'all. Where I've been for the past week was lacking in internet, so the rare occasion where I'd get a connection I would be bombarded with an influx of amazing comments on this story and they just made me so happy and so excited to post again, so thank you.
> 
> Also, I have low-key been projecting through Marvin this whole time. A lot of his quirks are things I do, which makes for a general disaster of a person.
> 
> I'm super excited to be back, and now, without further adieu:
> 
> Chapter 16

Whizzer tossed his keys into the ceramic bowl beside the door, pulling off his now very wet hoodie and hanging it on the coatrack. He turned to Marvin, who was awkwardly standing on the floormat, trying his best not to drip everywhere.

His clothes were stuck to him like superglue, his hair was plastered to his forehead, he was soaked to the bone.

“Right,” Whizzer said, realizing that maybe they should have at least stopped by Marvin’s house to at least get him something to wear.

He gestured to the hallway with his head, “take off your shoes, follow me. I have some dry clothes you can wear.”

Marvin did as he was told, his socks squishing as he followed Whizzer to his room. He stood on the wood floor a metre back as Whizzer rummaged around through his closet.

“Where’s your Bubbe?”

“Out for dinner with this guy, Frank, from her knitting circle.”

He stepped back, holding some joggers, a faded NASA t-shirt, and some thick socks.

“If we’re lucky,” Whizzer continued, “she won’t be back tonight.”

Marvin raised his eyebrows as he took the clothes from Whizzer, “if we’re lucky?”

“Yeah, even Bubbes need to get laid. She’s been going on about this Frank dude for weeks.”

Marvin smiled, then the two just stood there in silence for a moment. Was Marvin supposed to change in front of Whizzer? Would it be weird if he didn’t? It was just a shirt and pants, why was he making such a big deal about this?

Luckily, Whizzer saved him from having to do anything.

“You change, I’ll get started on food.”

He walked past Marvin, closing the bedroom door behind him. Marvin quickly got changed into the clothes Whizzer gave him, which fit surprisingly well, if a little big. It made sense, considering Whizzer was quite a bit taller than him.

He made his way back out to the kitchen, where Whizzer was standing at the stove, stirring the pot of pasta. Whizzer turned his head as Marvin approached.

“Hey.”

“Hi,” Marvin replied, electing to take up a spot against the counter beside Whizzer.

“Dryer?”

Marvin looked down at his clothes. Well, Whizzer’s clothes.

“Yeah, still as cold as usual though.”

Whizzer chuckled, lifting the pot off the heat and moving it to the sink. Suddenly, a boom of thunder echoed loudly through the sky, causing Marvin to visibly flinch.

“Geeze Marv, jumpy much?”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.”

Whizzer walked over with two bowls in his hand, handing one to Marvin. There was something about the way Whizzer said that, “don’t be sorry,” that made Marvin’s jaw unclench, his shoulders relaxed. The two began to dig into their supper, just standing in the kitchen instead of eating at the table.

“I just…I’m not a fan of storms. I’m always alone, just sitting in my room listening to the thunder, it’s not exactly relaxing.”

“Well…now you’re not alone.”

“I guess not.”

Marvin finished off his bowl, scraping out the remaining macaroni with his fork. He set his bowl down in the sink, followed by Whizzer.

“Do you want me to put your clothes in the dryer?” Whizzer asked, “so you’re not stuck wearing my clothes?”

“Oh, yeah, that’d be nice.”

Whizzer nodded, and the two boys proceeded to retreat back into Whizzer’s room. Whizzer grabbed the pile of Marvin’s wet clothes that were sitting on his dresser, returning to the hallway. Marvin instead stayed in Whizzer’s room, sitting down on his bed.  
The pride flag was still hung up above the frame, one of the corners was tucked behind it, the other draped in front. Around the walls were several posters that looked like they had been stolen from various bulletin boards around the city. One was for a Davinci museum exhibit, another for a Halloween dodgeball tournament. A pile of textbooks sat next to Whizzer’s backpack on the floor, beside a pair of runners. Marvin gripped Whizzer’s navy-blue comforter in his fists and swung his feet back and forth, his legs weren’t quite long enough to reach the ground.

“Hey, check it!”

Marvin turned his head to be met with a blanket to the face. When he pulled the blanket away, he saw Whizzer’s smiling face, he was also wrapped in a fluffy blanket. The blankets were toasty warm, making the eternally freezing Marvin grateful for their presence.

“Straight out of the dryer!” Whizzer happily exclaimed, jumping on Marvin and knocking him onto his back.

Marvin giggled, toppling over onto the bedspread. Whizzer hovered over top of him, deciding to use this position to his advantage and planted kisses up and down Marvin’s neck.

Whizzer didn’t often have his house to himself. That wasn’t to say did didn’t have much freedom, his Bubbe was actually quite lenient with the rules. Scratch that, his Bubbe was awesome. She had been there for Whizzer at every point in his life, she was completely supportive when he came out, and seemed to always know just how to cheer him up. Sometimes the two of them would just sit in the living room, knitting, listening to the radio, and eating box mix angel food cake. Whizzer’s Bubbe trusted him, which was why she let him go out to all the parties and sleep at guys’ houses.

But tonight, it was just Marvin and Whizzer in the house.

Marvin was well aware of that. There was something about the fact that he was in Whizzer’s house instead of his own which made the whole situation feel different from the other weekend. As Whizzer’s kisses went from quick pecks to long, passionate kisses from Marvin’s collarbone to his jaw, Marvin began to contemplate his next move.

He seemed to have a habit of setting himself up for failure, last time the two boys were in this position, Marvin bailed. He really didn’t want to bail this time. What Marvin wanted to do, was be all suave and cool and blow Whizzer away with his skill and experience. That…did not happen. Instead, Marvin was about as ungraceful as possible.

“I want to have sex with you!” he blurted out.

Yeah, real smooth Marvin.

Whizzer pulled away, sitting back with a look of both humour and surprise. Marvin sat up as well, mentally cursing himself for managing to fuck things up so royally. He had one job, a job that included not announcing that he wanted to have sex to the person he wanted to have sex with. The corners of Whizzer’s lips upturned as he realized how flustered Marvin was.

“You do?”

Whizzer was just humouring him with the question.

“I mean, you know, it’s like…whatever.”

It wasn’t like whatever.

Whizzer smirked, leaning in towards Marvin again and pressing their lips together. Alright, this was it, Marvin was trying not to fuck everything up again. He scooted himself backwards, so they were further onto the bed, Whizzer was already reaching for his shirt.

This time, Marvin didn’t pull back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowza, things are getting wacky.
> 
> I'm conflicted about how I'm ending this story, but I have idea in the back of my head. I might extend my current ending just to give you guys some more closure, if that's what you want. We're getting near the end, so it's time to think about my (possibly) next work.
> 
> As always, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated. Also, I'd like to hear how you guys want this thing to end, only three chapters left.
> 
> ;)


	17. Bright Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What was Whizzer? His lover? No, that sounded like something they said in seventies movies when they didn’t want to be too straightforward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are stabbing me in the heart with these comments, and I love it
> 
> Two more chapters

Marvin hit the cold, hard, floor, waking with a jolt.

He bolted into a sitting position, moving to rub his shoulder where it took a blow.

“Holy shit, Marv, restless much?”

Marvin blinked his eyes open, remembering where he was. He was on the floor next to Whizzer’s bed, grateful that a blanket had fallen with him, covering his otherwise naked body.

Right. That happened.

Whizzer was looking down at him from the bed, slightly more clothed. His hair was ruffled, but he bore a smile on his face. Whizzer reached a hand to help Marvin back up, who took it without hesitance. Marvin ensured that he was still holding the blanket around his waist as he was pulled to his feet.

“I didn’t know you were a stuntman,” Whizzer joked.

Marvin rubbed his eyes, far to tired and far too sore to comment on his tumble to the ground. He wasn’t used to sharing a bed with someone else, which was why he expected there to be half a mattress waiting for him when he rolled over. Before he had fell onto the cold wood floor, he was rather content in Whizzer’s arms.

The night before wasn’t as awkward as Marvin had expected it to be, but it definitely wasn’t perfect. He didn’t really know what he was doing, yet Whizzer managed to make him feel comfortable the whole time. Still, it was a relief to just to lie down under the covers as Whizzer wrapped his arms around Marvin at the end of the night.

Whizzer stood up, tugging on a shirt.

“It’s 8:30, we’ve got school.”

“Fuck, right.”

As Marvin quickly glanced around the room, he realized there was no way he’d have time to go home and get ready before school. 

“I can drive you, if you need,” Whizzer proposed as he hovered in the doorway.

“Yeah, that’d be good, actually.”

Whizzer nodded as he backed out through the doorway.

“I’ll get your clothes from the dryer.”

Marvin shot him a small smile, waiting until Whizzer was fully out the door until he got up. Sure, Whizzer may have seen him naked last night, but Marvin was still allowed to be shy. He scrambled to put his underwear, then reached into the pocket of the pants Marvin wore last night, where his phone was stored. He texted Mendel.

_I dont need a ride this morning_

Mendel replied moments later.

**Ok**

**Ur parents driving u?**

_No_

**?????**

_ill tell u later_

He set his phone down next to him on the bed just as Whizzer returned through the doorway. He chucked Marvin’s clothes onto the bed, then quickly grabbed his own phone before returning to the doorway.

“How do you take your toast?”

Huh, that was probably the first time anyone had asked Marvin that.

“Um…peanut butter?”

Whizzer simply nodded, then exited into the hallway. Marvin quickly got dressed, shoving his phone into his pocket, then headed towards the doorway. His mouth felt gross and cakey, he was relieved that his mom always used to make him keep a travel tooth kit in his backpack, as it was now coming in handy for the first time in his life. He’d just have to brush his teeth when he got to school.

Marvin quickly checked his hair in the mirror that hung on the door, it was nowhere near as effortlessly styled as Whizzer’s always seemed to be, but the curls were a little more tamed than usual.   
Good enough.

Marvin timidly made his way over to the kitchen, opening his mouth to say something to Whizzer, but promptly freezing in place when he reached the entryway.

“Good morning dear, how do you take your tea?”

“Uh…”

Well, this was awkward. At least, Marvin seemed to think so, yet no one else in the room seemed to be seeing it that way. Whizzer’s Bubbe was standing at the kitchen counter as Whizzer sat at the table, sipping on a mug of coffee. In front of him was a half-eaten piece of toast with jam, at the spot next to him was toast with peanut butter.

“He doesn’t drink tea, Bubbe,” Whizzer interjected, “just black coffee.”

She smiled sweetly, briefly turning to the counter before preventing Marvin with an old ceramic mug filled with black coffee. Marvin quietly, thanked her, then shuffled over to sit next to Whizzer. Whizzer was eating his toast as if it were a normal morning.

Marvin had to assume that Whizzer’s Bubbe realized Marvin wasn’t just there for a PG sleepover. Yet, the woman was being rather nonchalant about the whole situation. Either Whizzer brought a lot of guys home, or she was just a very chill lady.

Marvin silently wished it was the latter.

The two boys quietly ate their breakfast, Marvin was still trying to not seem as nervous as he was confused.

“You’ve got all your stuff?” Whizzer asked, taking the last bite of his toast.

Marvin double checked, doing a mental count that he had his bag, his phone, and his sweater.

“Yeah,” he said quietly, still a bit awkward about his presence. 

Whizzer stood up from his spot, picking up both his and Marvin’s dishes. He carried them into the kitchen and set them down in the sink. He returned to Marvin, but not before giving his Bubbe a quick peck on the cheek.

“Okay, you ready?”

Marvin nodded, swinging his backpack up over his shoulder, giving Whizzer’s Bubbe a shy goodbye, and following Whizzer out the door. It was kind of a relief for Marvin to be free of the house, even if he immediately stepped into a puddle as he dropped from the last step.

The air outside was misty, the edge of the curbs were filled with water from the prior night’s rainfall, and the clouds in the sky still a little grey. Whizzer walked slightly ahead of Marvin as they approached his car.

Marvin took a deep breath, it was a good feeling when fresh air entered your lungs after hours of being indoors. There was a slight wind that blew through his hair, and even Marvin, the human icebox, couldn’t complain about the weather.

He got into the passenger’s side of Whizzer’s car. He double and triple checked the time. Luckily, Whizzer lived quite a bit closer to the school than Marvin did. They would probably make it with a few minutes to spare.

The radio was playing quietly on the stereo. Marvin wasn’t what you would call a morning person, the only mornings he could fathom were filled with silence as everyone silently and miserably adapted to the new day. So, as he sat in Whizzer’s car, he didn’t speak. Usually, he was perfectly content with sitting in silence, but the fact that he was sitting next to Whizzer made the silence seem deafening.

Marvin noticed how Whizzer’s hands tapped on the steering wheel to the beat of the music. He hummed along under his breath. Wait a minute, Marvin recognized this song. It was one of those 80s songs his dad listened to in the kitchen when Marvin was little.

“Turn around, bright eyes,” Marvin mumbled, unable to contain himself.

Ah, yes, _Total Eclipse of the Heart_. A song that haunted both his dreams and nightmares. A song that was so tempting to belt out, that Marvin often didn’t bother trying to stop himself.  
Whizzer turned his head slightly to look at Marvin, noticing his quiet singing. He increased his own volume slightly, so the two boys were singing along with the music, not actually acknowledging what it was they were doing.

If you asked a six-year-old Marvin where’d he’d like to be in ten years, he probably wouldn’t have said “singing a Bonnie Tyler song in a car with the guy he had sex with the night before.”

What was Whizzer? His lover? No, that sounded like something they said in seventies movies when they didn’t want to be too straightforward. He wasn’t his boyfriend, even if that was what Marvin kind of wanted. See, smart people would decide to sit down and have a conversation about this. He wasn’t very smart.

_________________________________

“Holy shit.”

Marvin sat beside the lesbians on the hard, wooden bench attached to the canteen table. They gazed across the lunchroom, watching as Trina and Mendel approached, hand in hand.

“The fucker finally did it.”

Mendel blushed as he noticed the stares from the trio already situated at the table. The couple took their seats on the bench across from the three.

“When did this happen?” Cordelia asked, not missing a beat.

Marvin could see how sheepish Mendel was being, but he could also see the underlying joy in his blush. Trina, on the other hand, was grinning like a fool.

“Last night, we got together for some homework and he asked me out.”

“Awww,” Cordelia joked, “the straights have luck.”

Now, Trina was blushing too. She turned to Mendel with a smile, rubbing her thumb back and forth along his hand.

“Okay,” she said, flustered, “let’s not make a big deal, just…talk about something else.”

Marvin couldn’t help but lightly chuckle. The two of them were so dorky and awkward, they were perfect for each other. Maybe he should have seen it sooner, but he was glad he was seeing it now.

“What about you, Marvin?” Mendel began.

“What?”

“Your parents are back, right? How did that go?”

Oh, yeah, that.

“Right…well, they actually…their flight got cancelled.”

It didn’t go unnoticed by Marvin how Mendel’s fist clenched, and Trina’s expression tightened. Cordelia, desperately attempted to change the topic of conversation, which Marvin was grateful for.

“Are you wearing the same clothes from yesterday?”

Marvin looked down, then looked up. He nodded.

Cordelia chuckled, “walk of shame much? You get laid or something?”

“Yeah.”

Cordelia coughed, choking on whatever food she was still chewing on. Mendel and Trina’s eyes flew open, Charlotte leaned forward to look directly at Marvin.

“Actually? I was joking, Marv.”

Marvin shrugged. He didn’t know why he decided to be honest. In regular Marvin fashion, he would normally keep something like this locked up and only reveal it accidently during some late-night drowsy friendship conquest. Yet, for some reason, he was telling all of his friends in the middle of the school canteen.

“With Whizzer?” Charlotte questioned, a little too enthusiastically.

Marvin nodded.

“Tell. Us. Everything.”

As eager as the lesbians were for the details, Mendel and Trina had less input. They were less keen to hear about Marvin’s very gay sex-apade. But Marvin was their friend, so naturally, they wanted to know all his secrets. They were listening just as intently. Marvin just couldn’t believe he was actually spilling his guts to them all.

“Well, Whizzer was staying after school yesterday, so he ended up giving me a ride so I could get out of the rain. We ended up going to his house and…it just, sort of happened.”

Charlotte grinned, practically lying on the table in an attempt to stare down Marvin. 

“So you just, went at it?” Cordelia asked. “How was it? Did he suck your-”

“I don’t think I want you to finish that sentence,” Marvin interjected, holding up his hand.

“Good idea, it was not tasteful.”

“And, to answer your question, I guess it was good. I mean, I didn’t know exactly what I was doing, but it was good.”

“Are you guys dating? Or what’s the deal?” Mendel joined in.

“No, I mean…no.”

Mendel raised an eyebrow, as if to say, oh, so it’s like that. 

“I don’t think we’re exclusive,” Marvin added decisively.

“You don’t think?”

“Well…we haven’t exactly talked about it.”

Now, it was Trina’s turn to join in. “This has been going on for a while now, why haven’t you said something?”

Marvin sighed dramatically, annoyed that his friends were using logic against him.

“What if he doesn’t want to be my boyfriend? I don’t want to seem like some clingy loser!”

Charlotte laughed, then reached over to clap Marvin on the back. “Aww, he’s nervous.”

Marvin flinched at Charlotte’s touch, an unpleasant reminder that he had a bruise forming on his side.

“Look, I am far too tired and far too sore for this right now.”

Mendel scrunched up his face, “TMI, Marvin.”

Marvin narrowed his eyebrows, “Oh my God, not like that. I fell off his bed this morning because I’m not used to sharing a mattress.”

Trina giggled, causing the entire table to turn her way.

“Sorry,” she said through I smile, “I’m just imagining Marvin waking up by, just like, tumbling onto the floor.”

Marvin rolled his eyes, watching as his friends around him burst into laughter. As lighthearted, albeit personal, as their conversation was, part of it really stuck with Marvin. He knew he didn’t want to be just a casual hookup to Whizzer, but he also didn’t want to confess that to him. He had to say something, otherwise sooner or later, he was going to explode.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, look at that, a sweet and fluffy chapter. 
> 
> It would be a shame if something were to happen to it.


	18. Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I am this fucking close to bashing my head open on this desk.”
> 
> “Please don’t, I don’t know how to get blood out of the carpet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aight, one more chapter
> 
> I don't know if I'm gonna write something else after this, so throw any ideas for stuff you want me to write and I'll see what I can do. I'm also down for oneshots or something. 
> 
> Anyways, here you go, just pure, unadulterated fluff.

Life was honestly such a fucking nightmare.

There was so much stuff that happened all of the time. What kind of monster teacher put a test on a Monday? Did they have no concept of time? Did they not realize that Marvin had classes other than their own?

“I am this fucking close to bashing my head open on this desk.”

“Please don’t, I don’t know how to get blood out of the carpet.”

The three of them were at Trina’s house to study for their history test. It had been a while since they’d had the chance to meet up like this outside of school, Marvin forgot how fun it could be. Well, how fun it could be, not how fun it actually was. Nothing could make studying fun.

“Why do we need to learn about the fur trade?” Marvin questioned, “like, it didn’t even happen here.”

“Take a chill pill,” Mendel sighed, “we haven’t even gone over the booklet that claims Columbus found America.”

Marvin sunk down into his chair.

Trina, on the other hand, handled studying much better than the boys. She was the epitome of knowledge, with her assortment of highlighters and stationary. Meanwhile, Marvin nursed his cup of coffee and Mendel repeatedly tapped his pencil back and forth against the table.

“Alright, who were the Jesuits?” Trina asked, reading off her cue card.

“Don’t know, don’t care,” Marvin whined.

“They were those guys that did that thing,” Mendel said at the same time.

“Point for Mendel,” Trina said, defeated.

It had been a few weeks since Trina and Mendel had started dating, and things seemed to be going well. Not much had changed when it came to their overall group chemistry. If anything, they all seemed a little happier. That wasn’t to say they weren’t happy to begin with, but now, you could tell there was something else there.

Marvin looked down to the table as his phone vibrated against the wooden surface.

**outside**

He looked back up, turning to Mendel, then Trina. They were deep in conversation about some class that Marvin wasn’t taking.

“Alright, well I should get going.”

Mendel and Trina barely glanced his way, just giving him a short, curt, nod, before resuming their conversation. Marvin took that as his cue to leave.

Whizzer had told Marvin he could give him a ride home from Trina’s since Whizzer would already be driving through the neighbourhood on his way back from wherever. Those were the things that Marvin really appreciated about Whizzer, he would just randomly offer to do these kinds of things. It made Marvin feel like he really cared, even if Marvin was no more than a hookup to him.

He wandered out down the front steps of Trina’s house with his backpack over his shoulder. It was a nicer day outside, but not nice enough that it was justifiable for Whizzer to have his car windows down, which he did. Marvin closed the passenger’s door behind him.

“The hell?” Marvin asked, “you trying to freeze me to death?”

Whizzer shrugged, already shifting the car into gear and taking off down the street. Marvin immediately rolled up the window on his side, it still had one of the crank-type levers, Whizzer kept his down. Spring break was approaching, thankfully. It provided a much needed break for the stressed-out students of New York City. As far as Marvin knew, he didn’t have any plans. He was hoping to fill the week with various sleepovers with Mendel, the lesbians, or Whizzer.

“So, why were you in the neighbourhood anyways?”

Whizzer did a quick shoulder check as he made his turn before answering.

“I was at a friend’s house.”

“A friend. Huh.”

Marvin could feel the jealousy begin to stir in his chest. His fist clenched slightly, his nails digging into his palms. He new he had no right to be jealous, but it certainly wasn’t stopping him. He knew that “friend” didn’t really mean friend. What really got Marvin was how casually Whizzer always seemed to bring it up.

“Are you hungry? You had lunch yet?”

Marvin snapped out of his mini-spiral to remember that he was still having a conversation.

“No, I mean, yes. I mean, I’m okay, you can just take me home.”

Whizzer reached forward to turn up the dial on the radio, which was playing Copacabana by Barry Manilow. Marvin didn’t even know how he knew this song, but he could match every word. The car ride was short, but Marvin barely noticed. His mind was too preoccupied with other thoughts.

When Whizzer finally pulled the car up beside Marvin’s house, Marvin did something that, in hindsight, was stupid.

He reached for the door of the car, stopping himself at the sound of Whizzer’s voice.

“So, do you want to maybe meet up tomorrow after school?”

Marvin hesitated.

“If you’re not busy screwing some other guy,” Marvin replied.

He didn’t know why he said it. It was a really stupid thing to say, but now that he said it, he couldn’t take it back. He had so much jealousy and hurt pent up inside of him, now he was just letting it all loose.

Whizzer turned his head, clearly very taken aback by Marvin’s sudden outburst.

“What?”

There was no turning back now.

“Nothing,” Marvin replied, in a tone easily conveying that it was something.

“No,” Whizzer pushed, a mix of annoyance and anger building in his voice. “What the fuck was that?”

Marvin crossed his arms, realizing he might as well dive straight into the pit he just dug himself.

“Am I wrong? It’s like you have no respect for yourself, sleeping with any guy you see fit-”

“Why do you care who I sleep with? You’re not my boyfriend, Marvin, your opinion doesn’t matter.”

“No fucking kidding, huh.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean?”

At this point, neither boy held back. A part of Marvin knew how wrong everything he was saying truly was. He hated thinking these things about Whizzer, so why was he saying them aloud?

“It means you don’t seem to care about anyone but yourself. You pretend to have it all together, but you’re terrified of commitment,” Marvin shot.

“That’s rich, coming from you,” Whizzer scoffed, “ever think that maybe you aren’t right about everything? That you’re not the center of the fucking universe?”

“At least I don’t have to run around whoring myself out to anyone who asks since I’m too insecure to think that someone might actually care for me.”

Whizzer flinched, but chose to spit back instead of backing off.

“Insecure? Right, coming from the guy whose parents can’t stand being around him for more than a few weeks per year.”

Marvin’s face instantly fell, as did Whizzer’s. He knew he had gone too far, they both had. The car which had just been filled with quips and shouts quickly fell silent. Without speaking, Marvin opened the door to car and stepped onto the curb. Whizzer gripped the steering wheel, unsure of what to say. Both boys, too prideful to apologize, pondered what to do.

In a tone much softer than earlier, Marvin ended their conversation with two simple words.

“Goodbye, Whizzer.”

He retreated to his house, leaving Whizzer alone in the car.

Maybe the two didn’t go as well together as they thought they did, after all, it shouldn’t be so easy to hurt someone you love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry


	19. August

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to the person that got the Copacabana thing

**August**

“Would you come to my baseball game?”

Marvin raised an eyebrow. 

“Didn’t baseball season end, like, forever ago?”

Jason shrugged, giving Marvin a look that said: I’ve been asked this question a billion times.

“The Jewish Centre set the season back so it lined up with everyone’s schedules better. It’s dumb, I don’t know why I even asked-”

“Of course, I’ll go to your game,” Marvin interjected.

He knew Jason didn’t have many friends, he might as well go to his game so his teammates could think he had high school friends. Kid’s seemed to think that was cool, which Marvin would never understand. Teenagers were just sad, emotional messes.

At times, Marvin wondered why Jason never really had friends. Other times, he realized it might be because Jason invited his teenage tutor to play chess in the park in the middle of summer rather than hang out with kids his age.

“Checkmate.”

Jason smiled, crooked teeth and all. Damnit, the kid was great at chess. Marvin, not so much.

He had nothing better to do that cool, but sunny afternoon. Besides, he liked spending time with Jason. The kid kept him grounded. Marvin took down the date, time, and address in his phone, before parting ways with the Jason.

______________________________________

The city bus was bumpy and unsanitary, but Marvin didn’t care much at this point. He had gotten in the habit of taking public transport in recent month, it was easier than constantly depending on his friends for rides. Even if Marvin had a car, he didn’t like driving. It stressed him out too much.

The park Jason’s game was at was a little out of Marvin’s way, but he wasn’t as bothered as he thought he would be. He wasn’t able to drag any of his friends along to the game with him, the lesbians were at some hipster-y festival and Mendel and Trina decided to join student council, leaving them to go to school several weeks early so they could set up some orientation. So, Marvin was alone. It wasn’t the ideal way to spend his Sunday afternoon, but what did Marvin have to lose?

He hopped off the bus once it pulled up to the curb. Today was a lot hotter than recent days had been, Marvin found himself slightly regretting his decision to go to this game. At least the game had already started, Marvin would only have to stick around for about an hour.

As he approached the small diamond, he saw wooden bleachers half-filled with mostly parents and siblings. He spotted Jason’s parents, who looked pained to be there. He really couldn’t blame them, as that seemed to be the mood of the rest of the onlookers.

Marvin walked up near the fence, scanning the field for Jason. He spotted him standing in the dugout on the opposite side of the field. The field wasn’t anything special, the dugouts were just dirt patches in between two fences, they didn’t even have a sun shade.

Jason turned his head, noticing Marvin. He grinned a toothy grin and rapidly waved his hand in greeting. Man, did that kid have energy. The whole trip here was worth it just to see Jason smile. Marvin looked back to the bleachers, now facing his next big choice: where to sit.

He could possibly sit with Jason’s parents, but that might also be weird, he didn’t really know them that well. Maybe it was possible that someone he knew was here, some kid from school who’s sibling played baseball. 

Marvin scanned the stands, and that’s when he spotted him. His eyes locked directly with Whizzer’s.

Whizzer. The two hadn’t spoken since that day in March. The whole aftermath of that situation had been handled pretty childishly to say the least, they had both done their best efforts to completely ignore one another. In photography, Whizzer started sitting with someone else, leaving Marvin to sit with the Caroline girl. But it was fine, Marvin didn’t want to talk to Whizzer either.

They stopped texting and calling, but Marvin never deleted his number. Marvin started taking the bus, and he started spending more time with his friends. They didn’t question what happened, they could see how crushed Marvin was, even if he didn’t realize it himself.

It took Marvin a while before it hit him. It was just some high school romance, so why did he feel so heartbroken?

Marvin and Whizzer’s eyes met. Whizzer’s face shifted from one of surprise, to confusion, to a mild pain. Why the hell was Whizzer here? They had made eye contact for too long, it would be weird and just plain rude if he ignored him now.

Scratch anything Marvin had claimed earlier, he completely regretted coming to this game.

Hesitantly, he walked across the grass and to the bleachers Whizzer was sitting at. As Marvin neared closer, Whizzer quickly averted eye contact. Marvin took a seat on the wooden, slightly splintered, bench. Great, now what?

It had been so long since he’d spoken to Whizzer. Last time he did, he had fucked up big time. Why had he so easily thrown something so good away so quickly?

“Um…” Marvin started without a clear plan, “so…what brings you here?”

Whizzer was just as pained to be having this conversation as Marvin, but he also knew there wasn’t really a choice. Whizzer had tried just as hard to avoid Marvin as Marvin had tried to avoid Whizzer.  
Both parties had been rather successful.

“I babysit for one of the players, he asked me to come.”

“Oh. Who?”

Not that it really mattered, Marvin was just trying to make conversation.

“Jason, he’s the skinny one in the dugout over there.”

Marvin blinked.

“What about you?” Whizzer asked politely.

“…Jason asked me, I tutor him.”

“Oh,” Whizzer said in surprise, “That’s a weird coincidence.”

“Yeah…” Marvin had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t a coincidence. He remembered how Jason had reacted when Marvin had brought up Whizzer’s name all that time ago.

Now, they were caught in yet another awkward silence. Whether or not it was easy, Marvin knew he had to apologize. He was procrastinating, choosing to instead wring out his hands and pretend to be interested in the game. Okay, go time.

“Whizzer,” he began. God, this was so much harder than he thought it’d be. He turned slightly on the bench so he could better face Whizzer. “I’m really sorry, for what happened.”

Whizzer looked right at Marvin, his expression turning soft when he realized the conversation they were having.

“I had no right to speak to you like that,” Marvin continued, “I’m really, really sorry, I was just jealous and that’s no excuse.”

“I’m sorry too-”

“No,” Marvin interjected, “you don’t have to apologize, I’m the one that screwed up-”

“But I fucked up too,” Whizzer insisted, “the thing I said about your parents, that wasn’t true at all.”

Marvin cringed, recalling what Whizzer had said.

“I guess, I guess we’re both kind of jerks?” Marvin concluded.

Whizzer nodded, and the two sat in silence. Except this time, it wasn’t uncomfortable.

“And for what it’s worth…I wasn’t seeing anyone else while we were a thing,” Whizzer added.

Marvin looked up, “you weren’t?”

Whizzer shook his head. “I liked you, Marv, I liked you a lot.”

“I liked you too. I still like you, Whizzer, I like spending time with you.”

Whizzer smiled softly.

“I like spending time with you too.”

“Do think that we could, maybe, be friends again?”

Whizzer hesitated for a moment, thinking it over. Friends entailed a lot more than either of them new, and maybe “friends” would morph into something more. But for now, “friends,” was just friends.

He held out a hand.

“Friends?” Whizzer asked.

Marvin took Whizzer’s hand in his, and shook it.

“Friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we've reached the end.
> 
> Do you guys want me to write something else? I've had an idea bouncing around for a University AU but I know those are kind of overdone. IF I wrote one, would you read it? If you would read it, what kind of stuff would you want out of it?
> 
> I'm by no means promising it, but I've kinda started it and I'm trying to see if I can make it work.
> 
> But hey, we made it through this one. I had a lot of fun writing it, personally my favourite part was either the party scene where they dissed pretzels or the line "Rocco thrives at the sound of smooth jazz."
> 
> What was you favourite part? Favourite line? Let me know, bros.
> 
> ;)


End file.
